Your comments and questions:

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Q:  Hi Kel, I came across a word today that had me wondering of its origins. The word is BROUHAHA, as in some sort of ruckus or confected protest. Daryll

A: It's recorded from around 1890 and comes from an exactly similar French word with exactly the same meaning "commotion." Some experts claim it started in the French Medieval theatre where it was a cry issued by the devil when he came on stage -- and threatening to bring commotion on the scene. If that is correct it was probably an invented word -- coined by an actor or producer to sound threatening and alien and hellish.

Q:  Can you tell me where the saying "Armed to the Teeth" comes from. Thanks.  Charles

A:  One widely accepted theory is that the phrase originates from the Middle Ages. During this period, the expression “to the teeth” was used to mean “completely” or “fully,” much like “from head to toe.” Therefore, an individual fully armed with weapons from head to toe would be considered “armed to the teeth.” This aligns with the medieval context of knights, who were heavily armored and equipped with weapons all over their bodies. 

Q:  Hi, Kel, I've been hearing the words "laser like" -- where did this terminology start from?  Thank you, Margaret. 

A: 'Laser" comes from the initials of the term "Light Amplification by the stimulated Emission of Radiation" (coined in 1960). The resulting beam is extremely narrow and focussed.  Calling any highly focussed activity 'laser like' appears to be an Australian coinage -- and as far as I have been able to discover was first used in the Robodebt Royal Commission in February 2023.

Q: Tony asks why swimmers are called 'budgie smugglers'?

A: In the 1990s a number of people were caught at Australian airports trying to smuggle exotic (and valuable) Australian birds out of the country, concealed in their clothing. From this, in 1998 men's tight Speedo togs were nicknamed 'budgie smugglers' -- implying that the bulge in the groin was bird not bloke.

Q:  Hi Kel, when did the ABC first start being referred to as " Aunty ", and why? Thanks, John

A: From the beginning the ABC was modelled on the BBC. When 'Auntie' started being applied to the BBC in 1953 it was quickly transferred to the ABC -- which at the time was seen as a similarly old fashioned rather twee institution. (Very different from the raging socialism of today's ABC!) In 1977 Ellis Blain called his memoirs of broadcasting for the ABC Life with Aunty.

Q: I keep hearing the two indefinite articles "a" and "an" being misused -- please explain the rules. Brian

A: "a" is used before a consonant or a consonant sound. E. g. "uniform" starts with a vowel but is said with a consonant sound (as a "y" -- yooniform) so it takes "a".  And even the soft consonant 'h' should take 'a' not 'an'. So, it is wrong to say, 'an hotel' or 'an historian.'  "an" is used before a vowel sound -- so any word starting with an a, e, u, i, o, u sound takes "a".

Q:  As the etymology of our name "Liberal" indicates, we have stood for freedom ... We took the name 'Liberal' because we were determined to be a progressive party, willing to make experiments, in no sense reactionary but believing in the individual, his right and his enterprise, and rejecting the socialist panacea. I am beginning to get the impression that it was Howard who polluted this clear-sighted view with "conservative" ideas ... or lack of them. Best Regards, Terence.

A:  I don't agree. Menzies always saw classical liberalism as a combination of freedom and responsibility. Without responsibility freedom becomes licence, and another political philosopher altogether: Libertarianism. And the 'responsibility' component of classical liberalism always meant an emphasis on the rule of law and being responsible for protecting our civilisation. That's certainly where Howard stands -- in the Menzies tradition.  

Q:  I'm appalled at how many people say "disinterested", when what they really mean is "uninterested".  Am I right to be annoyed? Peter

A: Yes, probably. 'Disinterested' means impartial, unbiased, having no concern ('interest') in the matter. 'Uninterested' means bored, lacking any interest in the proceedings. The differences are clear -- but the Oxford makes the point that in informal conversation 'disinterested' is increasingly being used when 'uninterested' is meant. It may be too late to correct it now.

Q:  We were talking about Malcolm Turnbull and the words "white ant" and "fifth column" came up. We are all avid watchers of the Wednesday Words Matter so it would be good if you could explain the origin and differences with Peta please. Alan 

A:  (1) "White ant" -- goes back to the early 1600s as a popular name for termites. It comes from an almost identical Portuguese expression formiga branca.  Termites are more closely related to cockroaches than to true ants but resemble ants in living in large colonies. In Australian slang 'white ant' is used in two ways: meaning either (a) the supposed destruction of the brain by white ants, implying loss of sanity, sense, and intelligence or (b) to undermine or subvert from within (both from the early 1900s). (2) "Fifth column" -- comes from the Spanish civil war. One of Franco's generals (General Emile Mola) had Madrid surrounded by four columns of infantry in 1936 and boasted he had a 'fifth column' of citizens inside the city who would rise up and support him.  

Q:  Derivation of the verb to “snaffle”? Gerry

A: The verb 'snaffle' meaning 'to take' dates back to at least 1725. Originally (1533) 'snaffle' was a noun meaning 'a simple form of bridle-bit, having less restraining power than one provided with a curb.' From this (for reasons that are not clear) 'snaffle' came to be a slang or colloquial term for a highwayman (1699). And from that source it is clear why it came to mean 'to snatch or take.'

Q:  Where does the expression “the cat’s out of the bag” come from?  Ida

A: From an ancient confidence trick in which a huckster at a village fair would offer to sell a nice, fat little piglet to a gullible local, and having taken his money hand over the piglet in a bag or sack. But when the local got back home and opening the bag all he found inside was a wriggling cat. Except sometimes the trick went wrong and the cat escaped. That was letting the cat out of the bag. This confidence trick also gave rise to another expression. Because the bag or sack was also called a "poke" (a word we still use, because a 'pocket' is a small poke). And buying something you could not see was buying 'a pig in a poke.'

Q:  Hi Kel, I keep hearing "net zero" and I have no idea what it actually means. I also think it is used to excess by people who also don't know the correct meaning. Margaret. P.S. Peta Credlin is the best. 

A: "Net zero" refers to the management of greenhouse gas emissions -- to achieve an overall balance between the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere (for the purpose of mitigating the effects of global warming).  ‘Net zero emissions’ refers to achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere.  Mind you, there is much debate and dispute about what will happen if we don't reach net zero -- it may well turn out not to be the end of the world after all!

Q:  Hi Kel, what is the origin of motza please? John

A: It comes from the Yiddish word for unleavened bread.

Q:  A comment on 86. From Fox News, also Mafia slang 8 miles out and 6 foot under. Pam Bondi wouldn’t be up in arms about assassination otherwise. What cements this term as valid is CNN uses the restaurant definition repeatedly. Honey

A: The earliest citations that have been found are all from bars and cafes. But I think the rhyming slang origin (86 = nix) makes the point that "86 47" means "nix Trump" and that suggests kill Trump. 

Q:  Can you explain 'flotsam and jetsam'?  James

A: They started as maritime legal expressions: 'flotsam' being those parts of ship's wreckage that float, and 'jetsam' being those items from a ship thrown overboard (jettisoned) or that washed ashore.

Q:  Hi Kel, some media are often noting a "spike" in something (usually crime). Do they mean that the incidence sharply increased then quickly decreased (a spike shape in a graph of the statistics) or do they really mean, as I suspect, a rise in the number of incidents? What do you think, are they using the wrong word? Regards, Glen. 

A: Yes, I think they are. Since they are using "spike" to mean "rise" aren't they?

Q:  Hi Kel, why do we describe buying a round of drinks as a shout? Craig

A: This is an Australian expression, recorded from the 1850s. It probably started in crowded and noisy bars and pubs where one literally shouted to get the attention of the barmaid or inn keeper.

Q: Rick has written to ask if inverted commas are overused these days?

A: The answer is yes, they are--either in print, or as "air quotes" in spoken English. They are used to imply disbelief in the word stuck inside the quotes -- to suggest the word is being misused or misunderstood. These inverted commas are often smug or sneering in their attitude.

Q:  Jeffrey asks:  Isn't "Woke" is just a cute-sounding euphemism for cultural Marxism?

A: Yes, it is. When the Marxists realised that their political and economic programs did not work (which they saw in hideous experiment of the Soviet Union) they switched their focus.  Since political Marxism enslaves people and economic Marxism impoverishes people they switched to cultural Marxism. This based on Marx's belief that society can be divided into only two categories: the oppressors and the oppressed. This absurd oversimplification has led to the Woke insistence that all that matters is the social group you identify with, and preferencing the social groups they say should be preferenced.

Q:  Helen asks: "When did the terms: Aunty and Uncle enter into the Aboriginal lexicon?"

A:   While the exact time these terms entered the Aboriginal lexicon isn't well-documented, they have long been used as terms of respect for elders. Clearly, they did not exist before 1788 -- because they are English words, and there is no evidence of equivalent words in any Aboriginal language being used before European settlement to address elders. Interestingly, the same terms ("auntie" and "uncle") are used in other cultures. This usage is common in India and some Asian countries. So clearly when these words were discovered upon encountering English they were embraced as useful terms.  

Q: Richard has written asking us to explain the distinction between 'less' ad 'fewer.'

A:   Generally, fewer is used with countable numbers ("fewer than 100" / "12 items or fewer" -- which the supermarkets always get wrong!) On the other hand, less is used of vague amounts ("less trouble" or "less time"). However, this is not a strict rule and there are accepted instances of less being used with countable amounts such as "250 words or less," and especially with money ("less than $20") and distance ("less than 3 Ks"). Note that in all these cases, the things considered are often thought of as amounts rather than numbers.  

Q:  What is the origin of the term "time immemorial" and what is its definition?  I have read somewhere that it has had a set commencement date attached to it but can't remember much more about it. Thanks, Paul

A:   The phrase ‘since time immemorial’ is used to refer to a time in the distant past that was so long ago that people have no knowledge or memory of it – the phrase is also used in legally significant contexts to convey a sense of timelessness, and describes the time required for a custom to mature into common law. In the Statute of Westminster 1275 it was given a date: 6 July 1189 (the accession of King Richard I). After this date, English legal memory – i.e. the period over which the law’s recollection extends – is said to have officially begun. 

Q: John asks for the origin of "done and dusted."

A: Lots of guesses have been offered -- for instance that it comes from the days when ink was dried on a page by sprinkling sand on it. But "done and dusted" is only recorded from the 1930s. Another suggestion is that it comes from the time when sawdust was dusted over the floor to keep the floor clean (and then swept up at the end of the day). This happened both in butcher's shops in and in pubs. That's possible. Be we remain uncertain and open to other suggestions. 

Q:  Ian asks for the origin of two expressions with closely related meanings: 'ridgy-didge' and 'fair dinkum'.

A: (1) "Ridgy-didge" -- an Australian coinage from the first half of the 20th century. Eric Partridge says the "ridge" part comes from the milled edge on some gold coins. While the didge" bit is simply a rhyming reduplication of that sound. (2) "Fair dinkum" is also Australian -- from the late 1800s. "Dinkum" started as an English dialect word meaning "work", so originally 'fair dinkum' meant a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.

Q:  Liberal has never "meant conservative". In the UK Liberals aligned with the middle classes and in Australia Menzies idea was the "forgotten people". In my youth I recall the "wets and dries" or the "capital L and small l" liberals, but the "conservative" thing is a recent import". Terence

A:  Menzies intended the Liberal Party to incorporate the ideas of the British Tories -- the Conservative Party. In that context the word 'conservative' means a commitment to preserving (i.e. conserving) the best of the values of western civilization and passing them on to the next generation. So Menzies had two streams of thought combined in his Liberal Party (a) classical liberalism [with its focus on freedom -- free trade, free markets, free speech, free people and so on] based on the thinking of John Locke, Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill; and (b) conservatism [drawing on Edmund Burk's defence of the values of civilization which he saw being demolished by the French revolution]. 

Q:  What is the origin and meaning of "Affirmation"? With Albanese about to be sworn in, on his first term he chose to swear an affirmation instead of on the Bible. However more recently with the death of the Pope he publicly made it clear that his Catholicism was important to him. Can we now expect him to be sworn in on the bible? Ben

A: "Affirmation" came into English via French from a Latin source word and is recorded from 1400. It means a solemn commitment or declaration. Taking an oath on the Bible is the most ancient and common form of making serious commitment under English law. In 1695 the Quaker's Act was passed by the British parliament because Quakers refused to take an oath. Under that act they were allowed to make a 'solemn affirmation and declaration' instead.  The Australian Constitution requires that those elected to the Senate and the House of Representatives swear or solemnly affirm their allegiance to the Crown. Both use the same words, but the oath adds the words 'So help me God.' 

Q: What is the origin of "not on your nellie"? Bill

A: It began life as rhyming slang. The full expression was "not on your Nelly Duff" -- which meant "not on your puff" -- "puff" meaning "breath" or "life." So, the expression means "not on your life." It seems to have begun as air force slang in the Second World War and was popularised after the war by comedian Frankie Howerd. 

Q:  Hi Kel, where does the phase a king's ransom come from??? Thanks, Colin. 

A: In the days of medieval warfare prisoners were often captured for "ransom" meaning "the sum or price paid or demanded for the release of a prisoner or hostage." For a king this was (obviously) a very large sum of money. The expression is recorded from the 1300s. 

Q:  Many people write or say, 'must of been.' I was taught 'must have been.' Was I taught correctly? Harold

A: Yes, you were taught correctly. People who say that would never write it. They are being thoughtless and mentally lazy.

Q:  My question, as a former sports journalist and ongoing fan, is the use of the word "kick" in AFL commentary, especially on TV. Players are described during a match as being a "good kick", such as "Isaac Heeney is lining this up, he should score a goal as he's a good kick", or "Plugger is an excellent kick". I am constantly annoyed by this. Is this using a verb as a noun? If I am a good writer, am I now a "good write"? Please assist me. Tim

A: English has been turning verbs into nouns, and nouns into verbs for centuries (Shakespeare did it!). However, that doesn't mean that any noun can become a verb at any moment. English is a shared language, and it all depends on what the rest of the family of English speakers are doing. That said, your example irritates me -- and why is it always sports commentators who push the English language in strange directions? 

Q:  Hi Kel, what is the origin of the terms 'Port' and 'Starboard' in ships and aircraft? Cheers, John

A: 'Port' is left and 'starboard' is right ("The side of a vessel, aircraft, or spacecraft which is on the right when it is facing forward" -- Oxford). This appears to come from a Germanic source word where 'starboard' originally referred early Germanic vessels which had sing side rudders -- so 'starboard' was originally 'steer-board.' 'Port' comes from classical Latin via French -- with the source words meaning 'door' or 'gate.' So, the port side was against the jetty or landing and goods were loaded and unloaded through the 'port' side. 

Q:  When we go overseas to live or visit, we say we are going 'abroad'. How did this saying come about? Philip

A: It came into English around 1300. The core meaning of the source word 'broad' is 'wide.' So, from this, around 1450, 'aboard' came to be used to mean 'far from home' from the notion of being widely separated from home.

Q:  Many are calling the Liberals’ result a ‘drubbing.’ What is the origin of this word? Adam

A: The verb 'to drub' (recorded in English from 1634) means 'to beat with a stick.' The noun 'a drubbing' (from 1650) means a beating or a thrashing. It's uncertain where it comes from. but most likely from an Arabic source word, which came from travellers in Turkey. 

Q:  Hi Kel, you will remember Paul Keating claiming that the Malaysian Prime Minister was "recalcitrant." He was insulted. I thought it just meant difficult to deal with. Is there more? Cheers, Rick 

A: The word goes back to 1797 and came into English from a very similar French word (behind which there's a bit of classical Latin). And in both those source the meaning of the word was "stubbornly obstinate and uncooperative." It's clear why he was offended!

Q: Bob says that he heard that the Liberals needed a 'Michael Douglas moment' in this campaign and asks what this means and where it came from?

A: Michael Douglas starred in a 2023 movie called "The American President' -- at the end of which he makes a powerful finale speech when the presidential character he was playing was under attack and he powerfully and persuasively saved his presidency. 

Q:  Hi Kel, the other day I was speaking with my daughter who lives in Colorado. Amy mixes with the corporate crowd and we discussed the term "negging". The art of paying someone a compliment that's not a compliment. John

A: It clearly comes from the word 'negative' and has been around since at least the 1990s. Originally it meant something like rejecting or refusing to consider what someone has to say. But as it developed it changed a little. According to the Urban Dictionary it now means "a negative remark wrapped in a back-handed compliment. "

Q:   Hi Kel, In the 1950s my mother would say "don't be obstropolos" when I would not respond to her request -- where's that from? Regards, Ossie 

A: 'Obstropolos' is older than you might think -- recorded from 1727. It appears to be a jocular, comic variation on another word: 'obstreperous' (which is older, and comes from a Latin source meaning 'troublesome'). The Oxford suggestions that 'obstopolos' originally meant 'having an obstreperous mouth -- probably also with punning reference to classical Latin ōs "mouth". 

Q:  How about explaining 'POST' as in 'first past the post'. I studied Constitutional law about 50 years back and I could never get my head around the idea of 'first past the post' -- in which (with no distribution of preferences) someone might win with just 34% of the vote, even though 66% of voters don't want them!  Brad

A: A large field of horses can be running towards the same finishing 'post.' The idea behind 'first past the post' as a voting system is that one winner scores the prize, just as the horse who runs first past the post collects the whole of the prize money.  So, whoever is in the lead (by either much or little) will win. Our preferential system intended to mean that the winner has collected the majority of votes overall (including first, second, and third, preferences).

Q:  Can you please explain why so many politicians and news reporters amongst others pronounce “t” as “d”. For example, “important” pronounced as “impordant” and “cattle” pronounced as “caddle”. And so, the list goes on. It really annoys me. Thanks Kel. Meryl

A:  The prime minister is one of the worst offenders. He always pronounces 'important' as 'imporDant.' The "why" questions are the hardest to answer. All I can say is that this is an American vocal habit. They buy 'budder' and travel to 'Idaly.' So folk have picked it up from them.  

Q:  Hi Kel, the origin and meaning of " part and parcel ". Thanks, John

A: The word 'parcel came into English from Anglo-Norman French in the 1300s. It comes from a source word related to words such as 'particle' and 'part.'  That makes part and parcel a tautology, since both words in effect mean the same thing. English loves this kind of doublet: nooks and crannies, hale and hearty, safe and sound, rack and ruin, dribs and drabs. Many derive from the ancient legal practice of including words of closely similar meaning to make sure that the sense covers all eventualities: aid and abet, fit and proper, all and sundry.  Part and parcel is a member of this second group — it appeared in legal records during the sixteenth century. We use it to emphasise that the thing being spoken about is an essential and integral feature or element of a whole.

Q:  Hi Kel, I'm pondering the origin of the words "reporter" and "commentator" and the difference between the two. It seems to me that that the line between the two is becoming quite blurred especially when it comes to the presentation of current affairs. Your thoughts?

Cheers, Graeme

A: In the sense of 'a person who give a report of an even or situation 'reporter' goes back to around 1400. The meaning of 'A person employed to cover news or conduct interviews for the press or broadcasting media' goes back to the birth of newspapers in 1776.  'Commentary' meaning 'a description of some public event broadcast or televised as it happens' goes back to 1927. These sources suggestion there should be little difference between reporting and commentating.  Neither word originally meant 'expressing a personal opinion.'

Q:  What is the origin of the term "scot-free" as in he got off scot-free?  Charlie

A: 'Scot-free' originally meant 'free from payment'. It's recorded from the days of Old English (a thousand years ago).  The word was originally 'shot-free' and 'shot' was used to mean 'the charge, reckoning, amount due or to be paid, esp. at a tavern or for entertainment; or one's share in such payment. ' There was an Old English word, the verb 'to shoot' meaning to pay or contribute. 

Q: Martin wrote to ask about (and object to) the expression 'no brainer'

A: 'No brainer' is an American colloquial coinage recorded from 1959. It just means 'obvious' -- in other words, something that does not require a great deal of thought, something that can been seen easily with very little use of the brain. It is not meant to be an offensive expression suggesting some people have not brains!

Q:  Could you please provide the derivation of the derogatory term “phoenixed” as used in business terms?   Regards, Rosalind 

A: It's an illegal way for a company to avoid debt. The directors abandon a company that is deeply in debit and allow it to be declared bankrupt, after first transferring any assets of value to a new company which they then launch debt free. The name comes from the myth of the phoenix, a legendary bird. Legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion and then is reborn out of the flames. You can see how it would apply to this illegal business practice. 

Q:  Why is the Vatican called the Holy "See"? Vicki

A: From the 12th century the throne of a bishop or archbishop in a principal church could be called a 'see'. The word came into English from classical Latin via Anglo-Norman French. The Latin source word means 'seat' -- hence the throne of a bishop. The longer expression 'The Holy See' (usually with upper case initial letters) is recorded from around 1400 to mean the Papacy, or the authority and jurisdiction of the Pope.  Under the terms of the 1929 Lateran Treaty with Italy it was restricted as a title to the Vatican City State. 

Q: Where do "Red Cent" (as in I will not give you one red cent) and "Brass Razoo" (as in " I don't a brass razoo) come from? Darryl

A: 'Red cent' is American, starting (in 1837) to mean a one cent coin made of copper, and, hence, with a slightly reddish hue. It rapidly became an idiomatic way of referring to a trivial amount of money. 'Brass razoo' is Australian and New Zealand slang (going back to 1919), and it was always an imaginary coin of trivial value, only every used in negative expressions. But there never was a real 'brass razoo' (despite some myths to the contrary). But I have heard of a one souvenir shop that sold a piece of fake money labelled a 'brass razoo' to cash in on the expression. 

Q:  Hi Kel, could you tell me where comeuppance came from originally? Thanks, John

A: This started as American slang meaning 'a deserved punishment.' It's older than I would have thought -- being recorded from 1859. It seems to have developed from that phrase 'to have it coming' -- incorporating the older phrasal verb 'to come up.' This meant to move from one place to another, and 'comeuppance' borrowed this to suggest the idea of moving into a place where justice will catch up with you.

Q:  Could you please explain the meaning of verballing or to be verballed. I’m so sick of hearing it from our leaders! I love your segment on Credlin. Thank you, Annette.

A: 'Verbal' as a verb only goes back to around 1920 (the noun is much older, from the 1400s). In the 1920s, and from some decades after that, the verb 'to verbal' was just being used as a synonym for 'said' or 'spoke.' Only in the 1960s does it take on its currently -- to falsely claim that someone has a made a statement. It is British and Australian slang -- largely unknown in the United States. And it began in police work, when a police officer dishonestly claimed that an accused had made a 'verbal confession'. The earliest citation is the (London) Times from 1963 The extended use, being applied to politicians, is exclusively Australian, and is only recorded from 1990 (appearing in the Courier Mail in that year).

Q:   Hi Kel, can you please help? I have two words which mean the same thing but are not medical words but ones that we use frequently, especially with small children. The words are "wee" and "poo". Where on earth have they originated from? Carol

A:  From a desire to communicate with small children -- especially during toilet training -- in words of one syllable. Thus, the need to avoid saying to a baffled two-year-old "urinate" or "defecate" -- while as the same time avoiding vulgarity. "Wee" has been around since 1930. The Oxford suggests that it is "Echoic: frequently as a child's word." And the Oxford says that "poo" is "nursery slang' and is recorded only from about 1960. Which I find surprisingly late.

Q:  Hi Kel, what is the collective noun for Liars? Or is that too political? Cheers, Richard

A:  I don't know. A prevarication of liars? Two other suggestions have been made: a 'conspiracy' of liars, or a 'deceit' of liars. 

Q:  Hi Kel, What about the word “naff”? I first heard it many years ago – maybe the 1980’s when Princess Anne told someone to “naff off”! It might have been a pesky journalist. A fairly gentile way of telling someone to Bugger off or F*** off? What can you tell us about naff? Regards, Richard

A: 'Naff' has been a bowdlerized substitute for a four-letter-word since at least 1959. It was used in that year (in that way) by Keith Waterhouse in his play "Billy Liar." From 1964 it was also used as an adjective meaning "Unfashionable, vulgar; lacking in style, inept; worthless, faulty" (Oxford). As to the origin of the word -- the experts remain puzzled.  

Q:  Hi Kel, could you tell me the origin of why a farmer is sometimes called a Cocky. Regards Joan  

A: During the pioneering years, many small selectors had flocks of cockatoos settle on their grain fields -- so much so, that it became a joke, that they appeared to be 'raising cockatoos no corn'. Hence, small farmers were called cockatoo farmers, then just cockatoos and then just cockies.

Q: Brian writes: "I feel quite miffed by the current election campaign (why can't they do better?) But where does 'miffed' come from?'

A: The experts are unsure. It's been traced back to 1623 and seems to come from a Middle High German source word muff or mupf  -- and this seems to have begun as nothing more than a grunt or interjection expressing disgust.

Q:  Would you please explain to me where the phrase "pretty penny" came from? Wendy

A: It's very old, going back to 1710. It originally meant 'a considerable gain, profit, or sum of money' (Oxford). It was using 'pretty' as an old adjective meaning 'to a considerable extent' or 'very.' And it was also using the old denomination of 'penny' to mean money in general.  So, a 'pretty penny' is 'an attractive sum of money'. It seems odd to us because it is so old, and a penny ceased to be a significant amount of money a long time ago. In fact, the phrase probably survived because of the alliteration of the Ps -- English seems to like (and remember) alliterative expressions.

Q:  To “home in” is to converge on a particular location or subject. In recent times TV commentators and their interviewees many, if not most, instead use the term “hone in”. I understand that language is fluid and changes with time, but this appears to me to be a clear misuse of the verb “to hone” or sharpen and indicates ignorance on the part of the user. Gerry

A: This is not a new usage -- it is simply wrong. 'Hone in' makes no sense, and is used by people who have misheard 'home in.' 

Q:  HI Kel., I would like to know the origin of 'Bobby Dazzler'. I was born in the late 40's and used to hear it often. Now rarely. Thank you.  Christopher

A:  The word is recorded from 1866. The experts are uncertain as to its origin. Both components ('bobby' and 'dazzler') were used to mean 'superlative.' More than that they do not know.  

Q: Where does the word 'hustings' come from? Alan

A: It's corruption of 'house thing' -- for the Vikings a decision-making gathering was called a 'thing'. (The Icelandic parliament is still called 'the thing'.) When a household gather to make a decision, it was a 'house thing' -- corrupted into modern English as 'husting.'

Q: What is 'pork barrelling' and where does it come from? Rick

A: From an American short story from the 1830s -- as a jokey way of talking about buying votes.

Q:  Hi Kel, in regard to blueprint, where did it originate from, and what is the significance of blue in the first part of the word? Thanks. John

A: In the early 1800s, long before photo copying, 'blueprints' where printed copies of architectural plans. They were blue with white lines because of the chemistry of that primitive printing/copying process.

Q:  Hello Kel, I would be thrilled if you could help me to finally make sense of when to use who and whom. Kind regards, Kieran

A: I will write a whole column on who/whom. Stay tuned.

Q:  Hey Kel, In recent times with financial upheavals etc, could we introduce a new word for the opposite term of DOWNHEAVAL??? Harvey  

A: I doubt that your new word will fly. 'Heave' means 'to raise up' so any 'heaval' will always be in an upward direction. ('Upheaval' comes from 1838 from geology, to describe the results of volcanic activity.)

Q:  Hi Kel, I keep hearing the phrase ‘in real time’. Is there unreal time? Susan

A: 'Real time' is recorded from 1946. The Oxford says it means: 'The actual time during which a process or event occurs, esp. one analysed by a computer, in contrast to time subsequent to it when processing may be done, a recording replayed, etc. Frequently in in real time: performed or occurring in response to a process or event and virtually simultaneously with it. ' It is technology that has given us this phrase -- because technology (in effect) gives us the possibility of 'compressing' time rather than taking 60 seconds to perform one minute of work.

Q:  Kel, what is the origin of "Fast asleep"? Bally

A: "Fast" in this expression is the aphetic (or shortened) form of the word 'fastened.' So 'fast asleep is not the opposite of 'slow asleep' -- rather it means 'fastened (attached) to sleep.'

Q:  Kel, I'm still confused about "gaslighting". It seems to me the way it is used and named as such today, that it is more like "baiting", in that it causes a flare up in response, as with lighting the gas. Can you explain a little more about the general understanding of the word please?
Thanks for your emails and Wednesday appearances on the telly. Catherne

A:  It's from the movie "Gaslight' in which a murderous husband persuades his young wife not to believe the evidence of her own eyes. So, a politician is gaslighting us when he says "Don't trust your senses or your logic, just believe what I say." 

Q:  Where does Ponzi scheme comes from and what does it mean? Serge

A:  A form of fraud in which belief in the success of a non-existent enterprise is fostered by payment of quick returns to first investors using money invested by others; any system which operates on the principle of using the investments of later contributors to pay early contributors. Named after the con man who invented the idea around 1920 in New York -- Charles Ponzi

Q:  Hello Kel, would like to know where the expression "Indian summer" came from. Thank You. Diane

A:  There are several explanations for where the phrase came from, mostly put forward in the early nineteenth century, which suggested the term was of sufficient antiquity by then that its origin had gone out of living memory. William and Mary Morris suggest it came about because the word “Indian” had been adopted as a term among early colonists to describe something false, or a poor imitation of the real thing, as in Indian corn or Indian tea. Whatever the reason, this name for a short period of fine weather at the end of autumn is now the standard term.

Q:  Something that puzzled me as a child -- negatives that don’t have a positive, eg - dis gruntled (I would love to feel “gruntled”. Others have occurred to me but won’t pop out of my head now. 

Other examples of “untoward” are disabused (enlightened) and dismayed (and what would “mayed” mean anyway? Greg

A: The positives once existed for 'gruntled', 'sheveled', and 'peccable'.

Q:  Which is the CORRECT term: "I couldn't care less" or " I could care less". I have always used the former and I believe it is the only one that makes sense. The latter is used almost exclusively by Americans, and they swear by it. Are you able to help out? Thanks Kel. Regards, James  

A: The only one which makes any sense (logically) is "I couldn't care less" -- meaning: "I care about this so very little I couldn't possibly care less!"

Q:  I regularly see the incorrect use of the term' You and I' when it should be 'You and me".
e.g. "You and I' may agree on a certain course of action, but whatever is decided won't have any effect on 'You and me' when often the words You and I are expressed in the latter part of the above. Maybe worth a comment on Peta Credlin in the next week or two. It really annoys me. Ross.

A: Added to Peta's list.

Q:  Whatever happened to Gazillions? Terence

A: 'Gazillion' (just like 'zillion' from which it is formed) is a 'large but indefinite about (Oxford) -- while billion and trillion are precise amounts.

Q:  Hi Kel, I seem to keep hearing the term catfished or catfishing. I think I know what it means but where the heck did it come from? Aileen.

A: 'Catfished' is being deceived online by someone adopting a false persona -- pretending to be someone they are not. The word is recorded from 2010.  Use in this sense derives from the title of the 2010 documentary film Catfish, which concerns this kind of deception. Within the documentary, the husband of a woman who has been adopting a fictional online persona refers to her as a catfish (in this case with positive connotations), drawing on the concept of the fish as an invigorating or enlivening force, based on the (probably false) idea that catfish were once used in the transportation of cod. There's a quote from 2010 that says: 'The catfish will keep the cod agile. And there are those people who are catfish in life, and they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh.' It has now become entirely negative.