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Your comments and questions:
Q: Hi Kel, we are hearing a lot about "sliding doors moment" -- I've heard Peter Dutton use it. Could you tell me what this means please? It seems to be a recent addition to the vocabulary. Regards, John
A: It comes from the title of the 1998 Gwyneth Patrow movie "Sliding Doors" in which the future changes for her character depending on whether or not she goes through the sliding doors on a London underground train.
Q: “out of whack” -- where did the saying come from and how old is it? Shirley
A: First recorded in Texas in 1885. The experts best guess is that it started out in life as 'out of thwack' -- and, in turn, 'thwack' was an onomatopoeic word that named a hit or a slap. 'Thwack' goes back to the 1500s, and this 1885 Texan version seems to suggest that one is out of energy, too tired, and so weak that he's unable to raise a hand to even slap his horse.
Q: I'm hoping you can advise the meanings of both 'billion' and 'trillion', particularly in Australia, but also in USA, Jennie
A: Originally there was a British billion (which was one million million) and an American billion (which was one thousand million). The American billion is now accepted worldwide, even by the British. Something similar has happened to trillion. It is now usually accepted as being one thousand billion (10 to the power of 12). There was once (briefly) an older version that said it was a billion billion (10 to the power of 18) but that seems to have gone by the board.
Q: Where does the saying “put that in your pipe and smoke it” come from. Brian
A: From around 1800. It seems to have begun as an Irish expression meaning -- " just think about that for a minute". Possibly from the thoughtful appearance of many smokers.
Q: Can you explain the origin and meaning of Vox Pop? Michael
A: It's a bit of Latin Vox Populi meaning 'voice of the people' -- hence, interviews in street with passers-by are called 'vox pops' in radio and TV. Originally it was part of a longer Latin phrase Vox populi vox dei --meaning the voice of the people is the voice of God.
Q: Oliver asks for the origin of the name of the 'Tory' (Conversative) party?
A: The word seems to come from an Irish word in the 1600s meaning 'outlaw'. In the English Civil War, it was applied to Royalists who opposed Cromwell and the Parliamentarians. As a political label it seems to have been applied first the supporters of the restoration of the crown in 1688. Those early Torries were supporters of the executive power of the Crown and the authority of other established institutions, e.g. the episcopacy of the Church of England. Many remained Jacobites at the time of the Hanoverian Succession (1714). Their character changed when they were joined by a faction of disaffected Whigs--and in 1830 they formally became the Conservative party. Whig started in Scotland as a name for the Covenanters and seems to come from a Scottish word meaning 'poor, yokels, country bumpkins. So, both 'Tory' and 'Whig' started as slurs that were (as is so often the case) adopted by the people they were aimed at as badges of honour and their preferred name.
Q: I would like to know the origin of the phrase ‘It is not over until the fat lady sings’ Kath
A: So would everyone, Kath! The earliest citation so far discovered is from an American sports program from 1978. However, it is actually a rather older expression, which occurs in several forms: It ain’t over till the fat lady sings, The opera isn’t over until the fat lady sings, or Church ain’t out ’till the fat lady sings. Research continues.
Q: Is there a difference between a crisis and an existential crisis? Geoffrey
A: 'Existential' means 'relating to existence' -- so an 'existential crisis' is one that threatens existence. Many a crisis can happen between now and ceasing to exist!
Q: I read an article where it referenced an interview "winding down", and the thought occurred to me that if I substituted " winding up", that it would virtually still have the same meaning, despite up and down being complete opposites. Your thoughts? John.
A: Both come from the days of clockwork -- and they are different in meaning. 'Winging up' is usually used to mean 'completing' -- when a clock is fully wound the job is complete. (Although it is sometimes used to mean 'tense' -- as tense as a fully wound spring.) 'Winding down' meanings grinding to a halt, becoming like a stopped clock.
Q: I have just finished watching Outsiders and Rita Panahi mentioned an acronym that I have never heard before. It was AWFUL, standing for Affluent White Female Liberals. Is this a new acronym or have I just missed it? I would love to know its origins. Also, James Morrow used cashiered to mean fired, is this a common American usage? Many thanks, Susan
A: In 2022 Scott McKay, writing in 'The American Spectator referred to an existing acronym AWFL (Affluent White Females Liberals) which he said was 'good but not perfect' and he turned it into AWFUL standing for Affluent White Female Urban Leftists -- which spells out an appropriate word. The earliest citation for the original, shorter, AWFL version is from 2020 from The American sun, where Jackson Andrews said AWFL had replaced the earlier label of 'Karen' -- the name for the self-important white woman who demands to speak to the manager.
Q: Hello Kel, always like your segment on Credlin. I have a word that I would like your opinion on. The word is subliminal. Most sub things are below things. Like sub-standard etc. Thanks Andrew
A: Subliminal means 'below the level of conscious perception' so it is still a 'below' word. It is below the threshold (limen) required for conscious perception. Also (more generally): below the threshold required to elicit a response.
Q: It occurred to me that we say nonchalant but not chalant. Why is that? Surely the non indicates it is the opposite of the word it attaches to e.g non carcinogenic. Adam
A: Because the Old French source word is a single word -- not a composite word with a negative prefix.
Q: From Vs Off. I was taught that the only thing you take off someone is their clothes, every thing else you take from them. I would love to see your comments in the Spectator. If elsewhere please advise. Timothy
A: Keep watching my column in the Speccie -- I'll research an answer for you.
Q: Hi Kel, I'm interested in the term hard and fast and would love to know its origins. Susan
A: It comes from attachment of bolts back in the 1300s to hold timbers together (very large bolts!). If they had been turned hard, then they were fast (short for 'fastened').
Q: The word Tariff has been prominent lately. Where does it come from? Why is there one R and two FFs, instead of two RRs and one F? Denis
A: The spelling reflects the Italian source word 'tariffa' (meaning a book of rates for duties).
Q: Can you tell me how the word ‘just’, used since ancient times in a legal sense to imply right versus wrong, became an adverb as in ‘just a minute’ or ‘it’s just one of those things’. Bruce
A: 'Just' as an adjective means "exactly, precisely; actually; very closely" (1400s) but a century earlier it meant ' lawful, legitimate, rightful, deserved, fair' -- both of which reflect aspects of the classical Latin source word iustus.
Q: Kel, you omitted mention of the best stanza, the ‘real’ second verse of ‘AAF’, which my parents set me to sing in my 5 year old treble to our neighbour in the London flats where we lived in 1950/51 when my father was studying at London Uni on a Nuffield Fellowship:
“When gallant Cook from Albion sailed, to trace wide oceans o’er,
True British courage bore him on, ‘til he landed on our shore.
And here he raised old England’s flag, the standard of the brave,
With all her faults, we love her still: Britannia rules the wave!”
She chuckled indulgently: “Britain, faults? Oh, dear me, how charming!” Cheers, John
A: We never seem to sing that verse these days!
Q: My grandson asked why we say “climbing the walls “? Constance
A: It seems to have appeared in the 19th century -- and it comes from the notion of being confined: either in a prison or a high security mental asylum. In either case, it paints a picture of a confined person in a small space -- desperate for freedom and driven crazy by the small space. Now used of anyone who is going crazy from frustration in any situation -- they are said to be 'climbing the walls.'
Q: I just received information from my local council inviting me to attend a workshop which is
"a presentation on creating positive auspicing relationships. Auspicing is a strategic way for organisations to work together to provide services or activities" Can you explain this gobbledegook? John
A: "Auspice" is a noun (and only a noun). It can never be a verb. So, this nonsense seems to have been written by a semiliterate halfwit trying to sound pompous and important.
Q: Hi Kel, why is the word "CLUB" used for and organisation and for a weapon or equipment like in golf? Cheers, Ivan.
A: They seem to be different words that are accidental homonyms. The cudgel meaning comes from an old Scandinavian word klubba while the association meaning seems to come from a Middle Dutch word culve, which became klobe in German and then club in English.
Q: Great debate at the golf club yesterday about the use of a or an before words with h, for example: an hotel, an historian. Is there a clear rule? Regards, Tony
A: Yes, the official ruling in today's style guides is to use "a" before hotel/historian etc. But be sure to clearly pronounce the "h" at the start of the noun that follows the definite article. It's our failure to pronounce the "h" that leads us astray.
Q: Where does "Fly off the hand" originate? Thank you, Vicki
A: It's American in origin (1832) and comes from the way a lose axe head can fly off its handle (and do a lot of damage!) -- so it means 'out of control' (the axeman having no control over where the lose axe goes).
Q: I was having an eye test yesterday and at the completion of the assessment, asked the (young) optometrist whether I had a 'clean bill of health'? She had no idea what I was talking about. It occurred to me that I have always used the phrase (I'm 73) since I can remember, but now that the young optometrist raises the issue, what exactly does it mean? Shane
A: Originally (from 1642) a 'bill of health' was a declaration or a confirmation of a person's state of health (sometimes required for legal reasons in those days). A 'clean bill of health' was what is sounds like -- a good report.
Q: Paul Keating once said, “it’s a terribly good budget”. Was it Terrible? Or good? David
A: Originally (from the late 1400s) 'terribly' meant painful or terrifying. But over the centuries it has been weakened into a meaningless intensifier.
Q: The origin of the term "A dog's breakfast"? Hendrix
A: It means a confused mess. Recorded from 1892 (sometimes as 'dog's dinner') from the fact that (at the time) dogs were commonly fed with a mess of scraps and leftovers.
Q: Hi Kel. Origin of You give me the Willy’s” please? Thanks, David
A: It means "You make me feel nervous." It began as childish slang in the United States -- recorded from 1895. It puzzles us now, because it is a shortened form of a once longer expression: 'willie wobbles' (coined for the alliteration). So, you give me the willies was a way of saying you give me the wobbles -- which is a better name for a nervous reaction.
Q: Hi Kel, It is becoming more prevalent to hear people, even those who should know better, speaking about "abolishment" instead of "abolition". (Front page of today's Oz, in the building industry article.) To me, this is similar to people saying they are "wrapped" with something good! Care to have a crack at abolishment?? Cheers, Helen
A: Sorry -- it's a real word, recorded from 1538.
Q: Hi Kel, one term that drives me nuts is "solar farms". Ditto "wind farms".
As I posted on the Oz today - Can we please stop calling wind and solar installations "farms"? They are not and never will be farms. Farms grow living things - plants and animals. Calling them "farms" is just another example of the Left twisting and misusing our beautiful language for its own malign ends. As you are correctly showing in your excellent articles the abuse of our language regularly committed by leftist activists, you may wish to run this one, if you haven't already.
Best regards and keep up the great work. Helen
A: I have written about this, and I prefer 'solar factor' and 'wind factory' -- because they are today's 'dark satanic mills' destroying the landscape.
Q: Dear Kel, I loved reading your explanation of "learnings", in particular your mention of narcissism as a determinant of the muddled speech we are assaulted with daily. When I was at university, studying teaching (there's some irony ahead), most of my lecturers referred to 'multiple learnings' when considering what they then defined as 'teachable moments'. This was after the tutorial before mine had a slide describing 'includement' (no, really). Maybe the power had gone to their heads, who knows? Whatever the answer, it made me wince. I wonder if you've ever introduced 'teachable moments' to your Ozwords disciples? Or perhaps academic language as a general theme? Anders
A: A good thought -- perhaps I should write a column on this!
Thank you for the bonzer work you do,
Q: At college I was told we need to "decolonize" the curriculum. It turned out this meant we should get rid of Shakespeare, Dickens and the like. Please tell me about this word "decolonize"? Melanie.
A: "Decolonize" is a perfectly legitimate word, with a legitimate meaning -- which is now being perverted for puzzling reasons. The legitimate meaning of "decolonize" is for a colonial power to hand over it powers and authority to the local community. This happened repeatedly during the 20th century. However, it is an abuse of language to claim that abolishing some of the treasures of western civilisation is "decolonizing" -- is not. Shakespeare, Dickens and the line are not part of some colonial culture -- they are our culture, and they are native to any nation where English is the national language.
Q: I read that there’s a new word in town… ‘sustainment’. What on earth is that? And what does it mean? And is it a real word? John
A: First recorded around 1500 it is the action of sustaining. However, this is probably not an old word revived, but a new word intended to convey the notion of 'sustaining' -- the trendy Woke word for rejecting fossil fuels and just using things up, but instead 'sustaining' the planet.
Q: Where does the saying: To blot one’s copy book, come from? Elaine
A: It's recorded from 1598, when schoolboys were required to copy lessons into a 'copybook' in 'fair writing.' They were dipping their pens (or quills) into a pot of ink, so the easiest mistake to make was to ger a blot of ink onto the page -- for which they would be disciplined. Once the expression was common it was used figuratively to mean any fault, or misdemeanour or gaffe that spoiled one's record.
Q: A common expression is 'sound asleep'; but we don't say (I don't think anyway), 'sound awake'. Regards, Michael
A: 'Sound asleep' comes from the 12th century, and behind it is a Germanic (Old English) source word meaning complete, or in good health (free from injury or infirmity). There is a sense in which a state of sleep can be 'complete' or 'whole' (meaning that the sleeper is completely unconscious). The same cannot (in all probability) be said of the state of being awake.
Q: What is the origin of "when push comes to shove"? And is it still being used correctly? Rick
A: The expression seems to come from the late 1800s, and most commentators say it was born in the sport of rugby -- especially when the scrum packs down. The notion is that a "shove" is much tougher than a "push" -- so it means "when things get tough, will you be tough enough?" And yes, I think it is (generally speaking) still be used correctly: when the scrum of life packs down, will so-and-so be tough enough to win the scrum?
Q: Why is Islamophobia defined as a hatred of the religion Islam or Muslim people. I always thought phobia was a fear of something. Therefore, to be Islamophobic is to be fearful of Islam not to have a hatred? Juanita.
A: Yes, it is a badly formed word -- just like many similar words (homophobia, transphobia etc.) They have all been coined by the ignorant to deceive the gullible.
Q: I am curious the know the origin of "the straw that broke the camel's back" a very often used term, Peter
A: It seems to have been coined by British philosopher Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century. He was engaged in a debate about causality, when he wrote about "the last Feather may be said to break a Horses Back." This is clearly the same concept in only slightly different words. Within 50 years it had changed to the version that we know.
Q: Hi Kel, I am a professor at an Australian university and have worked for various universities for over 40 years. One of our jobs is to mentor students in research degrees (e.g. honours, masters, PhD). In this role we used to be called "supervisors" but in more recent times we have been called "advisors" (this term is currently used). I don't know why the change in terminology and wonder what the difference between supervisor and advisor is. Many thanks, cheers Alan
A: The two words are closely related, with the 'visor' part of both words being related to 'vision' or 'looking.' A 'supervisor' 'looks over' what is happening to take responsibility for it -- exactly the same concept as 'overseer.' 'Advisor' means someone who witnesses (looks over) something for the purpose of giving advice.
Q: There is actually a breve. Looks like a semi-breve with two little vertical strokes on each side of it. It goes on for so long you think it is never going to stop. So, it is hard to understand why its name means “short”. Alan
A: You are right about the meaning of 'breve' -- it is actually a variation on 'brief'!
Q: Kel, is there a special rule about when to use: - "hemi-" vs "demi-" vs "semi-"? (Semicircle/hemisphere!) Regards, Bill
A: All those prefixes mean the same thing "a half" -- 'hemi' comes from a Greek root while the other two both comes from Latin roots. There is a pattern of the Greek sourced prefix (hemi) being attached to a Greek sourced noun (hence 'hemisphere') and one of the Latin sourced prefixes being attached to a Latin sourced noun (hence 'semicircle'). The big word (hemidemisemiquaver) has clearly been constructed to mean 'a half of a half of a half.'
Q: Where does the saying “As a rule of thumb come from”. Could you explain this on the Peta Credlin show please. Judith
A: There is an old myth that this was based on a British law that allowed a man to hit his wife with a rod -- as long as the rod was no thicker than a man's thumb. Complete nonsense! No such law ever existed. The truth is that this was originally just a rough form of measurement -- like the word 'foot.' Before rulers and calipers builders used parts of the human body as a way of measuring.
Q: Just read a word that I am not sure exists in our language: legitimating. It appeared in The Australian today, 14.3.25 in an article written by one of the most literate of contributors. Please let me know which of us is right. Ida
A: A perfectly real word -- it means 'to make legal, to legalise.'
Q: Where does "conny wacker" come from. You were called one if you went to a catholic school. Tricia
A: This is strangely obscure. The Urban Dictionary has an entry saying that 'connywackers' (one word) were: 'Students of Taree's Catholic High School' as in 'These connywackers are overloading the bus.' 'Connie' (or 'conny') is an old slang term for a conductor on a tram or bus (an obvious abbreviation) -- so were these 'connywackers' kids who were rude to the conductor?
Q: When did we start saying ‘fat chance’ of something happening? Adam
A: There is considerable uncertainty about this -- but it seems to have been born in the United Sates in the middle of the 20th century. It seems it was first used (and is still used!) as irony or sarcasm. "Fat" always means 'an abundance' or 'a lot.' And when there is the opposite -- very little chance -- the ironic or sarcastic comment is 'fat chance.'
Q: I remember in my younger days the saying “doubling up”. Now I constantly hear “doubling down”. Are they the same and if so, what happened? Dudley
A: No, they are different expressions. 'Double up' means 'bent' or 'folded' -- as in 'his knees doubled up under him.' (From the 1600s.) 'Double down' is a gambling expression meaning to increase one's bet -- figuratively it's used to mean an increase in your commitment. (From the mid 20th century.)
Q: I heard a Sky News commentator use the word "iota' today as in...."Trump could not give one IOTA about what Turnbull said." Where did IOTA come from, what does it mean and is it short for something? Daryl
A: An 'iota' is the smallest letter in the ancient Greek alphabet -- roughly the equivalent of our lower case 'i'. So 'not giving one iota' means not caring even a very small bit.
Q: Hi Kel, Here's a new one for me - Larping. The poor distressed author has found out that many businesses have just been pretending to care about "climate change" and DEI and other Marxist rubbish. A really a pain! Helen
A: 'Larping' means ' When someone is pretending to be something they’re not. Can involve lying on social media/internet or lying in real life. Often used in a derogatory sense' (Urban Dictionary). This strange new word is recorded from 1990. It started as a noun, an acronym--'Larp' from the initials of 'Live-Action role-playing' -- in which players in fantasy games play characters in those games. From the nou it became a verb (hence 'larping') and this was then used figuratively for people or corporations who (in real life!) were pretending to be what they are not (to achieve some goal).
Q: I heard Rowan Dean use an expression that my late father used... Mrs Kafoops. What's its history? Regards, Bill
A: Defined as "an arbitrary use of a jocular name." It's an Aussie invention, recorded from 1924. It had a number of uses: (1) a woman whose name you didn't know; (2) a neighbour or typical woman; (3) a self-important, pretentious, snobby woman.
Q: Hi Kel. What is the correct pronunciation (if there is such a thing) of Canberra. Is it "CAN-bra" or is there ANY emphasis on the e and therefore Can-BERR-a. Cheers, Ervin
A: My ancient book about Australian placename pronunciations (published by the ABC in the early 1960s) says CAN-berra.
Q: Kel, it drives me nuts -- ALBO's commonly used phrase: "We got your back ". Does this sound odd to you? Paul
A: This started out as Black American slang (recorded from 1977) in the context of street fighting -- meaning "we'll stand back-to-back with you and defend you from the attacks you can't see coming." It doesn't make a lot of sense in the context of cyclone victims.
Q: G'day Kel -- what a great segment! Can I ask where did the saying call a spade a spade come from? Nev
A: It means calling a thing by its proper name and seems to have begun in the ancient world. In 178 BC Plutarch uses a proverb which says pretty much exactly this. It turns up in English in 1542 in a translation of Erasmus's edition of Plutarch.
Q: America: is it a country, or two continents? Residents of the United States of America usually refer to their country as 'America", but having been brought up in South America, I see this a bit differently. I always felt those in the USA had no exclusive right to the name. What do you think, Kel? Gordon
A: The Oxford says "America" is a 'land mass consisting of two continents.' When the yanks say 'America' they are not claiming ownership of the whole landmass -- they are just abbreviating the longer expression "United States of America" -- and abbreviation is fine. And spare a thought for the poor Canadians who live on the continent of North America but hate being called 'Americans.'
Q: What about the word Nix? Not sure if you’ve addressed this word in the past but I’ve been seeing it used in the press a bit lately. Never heard of it before until now. Sascha.
A: It's a variation on the German word nicht meaning 'nought' or 'nothing.'
Q: I am interested in the term culture wars. It is frequently used in relation to Peter Dutton. For example, Albanese says Dutton is engaging in culture wars. It is said in a pejorative sense. Leo
A: It began as a German word kulturkampf -- 'Kampf' means struggle. It originally referred to the conflict between the German government and the Papacy for the control of schools and church appointments (1872–87). It became common in English from 1987 to describe the battle over cultural institutions and values between traditionalists and those who want major change.
Q: Hopefully you can tell me how a dog became POOCH and chickens became CHOOKS.
An English friend said they're typical Aussie slang, Roz
A: "Chicken" has long been shortened to "chick" or "chuck" -- and "chook" is the Northern English regional pronunciation of "chuck." "Pooch" is American (from 1908) and all the experts say, "origin unknown."
Q: I heard this phrase in a movie recently, and I've heard it before, but never known why it's used: "everything's gone all pear shaped". Now, I know what shape a pear has and I know that it means that things are messed up, fouled up, screwed up, things are falling apart, chaos has ensued, however it needs be defined, but how does that relate to the shape of a pear? Gregory.
A: This is Word War TWO slang from the RAF. When a pilot tried to "loop the loop" and failed to fly in a neat circle but wobbled about, his manoeuvre had "gone pear shaped."
Q: What I would like to know, where did the Australian accent change. For example, mother didn't have an accent, even though her parents did but my grandmother/father didn't. How did and when did the Australian accent change. Carol
A: In his book Speaking Our Language Bruce Moore demonstrates that the distinctive Australian accent developed in the very earliest days of settlement. It emerged by a process of 'flattening out' differences in the many regional British dialects spoke by the convicts. It began with the earliest convicts and became more pronounced among their children. Bruce Moore shows that it was fully developed by the1830s -- within 50 years of settlement. All accents change over time, but what we think of as "middle Australian" (the mainstream accent) today is probably very close to what was spoken almost 200 years ago.
Q: I've heard that the expression "First Nations" comes from Canada. It seems to me that if we have first nations, then we must have second nations and third nations. What is the point of people calling themselves "First Nations" which then divides the population? Regards, Kay
A: It is indeed Canadian -- making its first appearance in print in the Toronto Globe and Mail in 1980. It uses the adjective "first" to mean the descendants of the earliest inhabitants of a place. In other words -- it is based on the unexamined assumptions that people are defined by their family tree. This is the ancient idea of aristocracy -- that a person's place in society should be determined not by their personal characteristics, but by their family tree. So, the use of expressions such as "First Nations" or "First People" is an attempt to create an entitled aristocracy.
Q: I would love you to answer this one on Peta Credlin's show, please Kel: "Don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs". I know its meaning.... do not try teaching someone, something that they already know but.... "suck eggs"? James.
A: Many similar expressions have been invented down the years, such as Don’t teach your grandmother how to milk ducks, and don’t teach your grandmother to steal sheep. These have the same kind of absurd image as the version you quote, which has survived them all. It was first recorded in 1707 in a translation by John Stevens of the collected comedies of the Spanish playwright Quevedo. And there are other examples of sayings designed to check the tendency of young people to give unwanted advice to their elders and betters. Most likely the meaning of the idiom derives from the fact that before the advent of modern dentistry (and modern dental prostheses) many elderly people (grandparents) had very bad teeth, or no teeth, so that the simplest way for them to eat protein was to poke a pinhole in the shell of a raw egg and suck out the contents; therefore, a grandmother was usually already a practiced expert on sucking eggs and did not need anyone to show her how to do it.
Q: Kel, recently I have had a young relative try to convince me of the advantages of AI.
As someone who likes to be surrounded by those that think outside the box and I strongly detest group think, I have been trying to come up with an example of what AI can't, and possibly never be able to do, and I think you may have provided it when you related "In one story in which Beach (the butler at Blandings Castle) takes offence, Wodehouse writes: ‘Ice formed on the butler’s upper slopes.’" Can AI now, or ever be able to create such brilliant use of words?
I think AI will do to such brilliance what calculators have done to the ability to do mental calculation, and the mobile phone has done to the ability to spell and write. Regards, John
A: Precisely. AI cannot create jokes, because AI is not truly "intelligent." All AI does is blindingly fast complex calculations. I once asked ChatGP to write a paragraph about a lunch in the style of P. G. Wodehouse. It wrote a paragraph about people sharing lunch and added "in the style of P. G. Wodehouse." Not only was there no joke, it had failed to understand the request. So-called AI is in reality just a very clever form of stupidity.
Q: Here's a question that might work turn up in the upcoming election: 'Talking through you hat' -- and does that one relate to: 'Keep it under your hat'? Lillian
A: (1) 'Talking through your hat' now means talking nonsense. However, an early citation (from the New York Sun from 1886) suggests that originally it meant speaking incoherently -- mumbling like a drunk -- as if you literally had a hat over your mouth muffling the sound. So. one of those expressions that seems to have changed its meaning over the years. (1) 'Keep it under your hat' is unrelated. It comes from the mid 1800s and just means 'keep it in your head, and don't let it out through your mouth.'
Q: Lucy asks for the origin of "to a tee".
A: Recorded from 1693 -- and in the earliest citations it's the upper-case letter "T" not "tee." It means 'to perfection' or 'to the highest degree. There have been various suggestions over the years--that it comes from a golf tee, or from the exactitude of a T-square. It seems likes that it actually started from T being the initial letter of a word. So, what word? Almost certainly the word "tittle". This turns up in the phrase "every jot and tittle" -- because the jot and the tittle were smallest symbols used in Latin -- so this means "in every small detail." Similarly, "to a T" (short for "to a 'tittle'") means "down to the smallest detail.
Q: Hi Kel, a constant criticism of Albo's is that Peter Dutton has populist policies. If populist policies means that Dutton is promoting policies that are popular I don't see a problem. Could you please clarify what populist means in this context and why it is considered a bad thing. Thanks, Susan
A: The word 'populist' is recorded by 1891 and means 'appealing to the interests of ordinary people.' There was a political party called The People's Party formed in the United States in 1891 -- and the word was first applied to them and then applied more widely. It comes from the classical Latin word populus meaning 'people.' It has obviously had a long application to democratic politics. So why is it spoken of as a bad thing? One reason is that 'populist' ideas are disruptive. The Voice was a favoured project of the elite activist class, and it was destroyed by a 'populist' movement. Second, 'populist' causes these days appear to be right wing, so the left hates them. Arguably, when Albanese accuses Dutton of being 'populist' what you are hearing is a lifelong member of the Labor Socialist Left speaking.
Q: Hi Kel, can you explain dog whistling please? Howard
A: Originally (from 1801) a "dog whistle" was a high-pitched whistle that could only be heard by a dog. From 1995 it's been used in politics figuratively (metaphorically) to mean 'a political message that sounds harmless and mainstream to most listeners, but which will convey a special meaning to a targeted audience--in addition to its ostensible meaning has a further, typically less publicly acceptable interpretation. The earliest citation is from Canada in 1995.
Q: I recently read a judgement by the language-loving Justice Michael Lee, which referred to two firms of solicitors which "were at loggerheads". Delightfully quaint, but how did we get this expression Kel? Marilyn
A: The phrase 'to be at loggerheads' is recorded from 1671. The Oxford English Dictionary is puzzled by this, noting: 'This use is of obscure origin.' However, there was once an instrument called a 'loggerhead.' This was 'An iron instrument with a long handle and a ball or bulb at the end used, when heated in the fire, for melting pitch and for heating liquids.' And the experts at the Oxford suggest, that in a heated argument: 'perhaps this instrument described ... may have been used as a weapon.' So, if the argument was so irresolvable that you both picked up a thing called a 'loggerhead' and hit each other with it, then you were 'at loggerheads.'
Q: Frequently journalists describe someone making a criticism as 'railing against'. The most recent example: "Former Prime Minister John Howard has railed against anti-Semitism." This really irritates me. I have been observing Howard for decades and I have never heard him 'rail' against anyone or anything. What is the correct use of the word? Peter
A: The word goes back to around 1470 and comes from a French source word, and behind that is a post-classical Latin word -- and the meaning in all those source words is something like "to bark, bellow, or howl." This makes 'railing' sound pretty bad! But the Oxford insists that originally (in English) the verb 'to rail' simply meant 'To complain persistently or vehemently.' Which is entirely reasonable behaviour. However, the word has changed over time, and it is now often used to mean 'ranting or abusive' language. I think journalists need to take more care when they consider using the word 'railing.'
Q: Where does the word sandwich come from? Dennis
A: The origin of the sandwich is usually credited to John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who requested meat tucked between two pieces of bread during a gambling session to avoid interrupting his game.
Q: Joel asks about: 'storm in a teacup.'
A: This means a great commotion in a circumscribed circle, or about a matter of small or only local importance. It's recorded from 1854. Although an earlier version 'tempest in a teapot' is recorded from 1815. All versions are said to go back to a Latin proverb about a 'tempest in a ladle' -- known from classical times.
Q: Hi Kel, could you please advise origins of spin doctor? Thanks. John.
A: A ‘spin doctor’ is a political press agent or publicist employed to promote a favourable interpretation of events to journalists. This expression originated in America and came about during the 1980s, when the need for 'sound bites' became pressing enough to require a new class of publicist to provide them. Many of the early citations of the phrase in print refer to the political campaigns of Ronald Reagan. Spin, without the accompanying doctor, had begun to be used in a political and promotional context in the late 1970s. So, why ‘spin’? Well, there are two candidates (and another at the end which may blow the other two out of the water, so to speak). The first theory is that it relates to sailors and other storytellers spinning yarns. The second explanation of ‘spin’ is that it refers to the spin that sports people use in cricket, snooker, baseball etc., in which a ball is deviated from its natural course and directed to the left or right. A third explanation is that is derived from the name of a fisherman’s lure. Spinning metal tags are commonly used as bait to attract predator fish and are known as spinners. A particular spinner, called a Spin Doctor, was on sale in the USA in the 1960s and was often referred to in the press. So, the jury is out. The origin of ‘spin doctor’ probably lies in the list of three above but at this point we don’t know which.