Q: Hi Kel, could you please advise as it the origin and meaning of the term “wood duck” when referring to a person conversationally. For example: “He’s not a great golfer, he’s a bit of a wood duck”. Many thanks, Don.
A: I think it comes from the fact that decoys used by shooters were made out of wood. They looked like ducks and were designed to decoy real ducks to land on the body of water where they were floated. If that's correct, 'wood duck' means 'not the real thing.' The Urban Dictionary says this expression is used by used car salesmen for customers who know nothing about cars and will believe anything the salesman says.
Q: Hi Kel, when my father was asked Where is such and such? He would reply “Up in Annie’s room behind the clock” Do you know it’s Origen or is it a quirky family saying? Many thanks, Joan
A: This is First World War British Army slang. It began as a nonsense response in the officers' mess when someone was missing. It would be said that he was 'up in Annie's room' (getting some female companionship). Later 'behind the clock' was added to make a nonsensical expression even more nonsensical.
Q: Re -- 'out of pocket': Kel, I think someone is confusing ‘pockets’ with ‘trees’: I have certainly heard ‘he’s out of his tree’ used to describe erratic, aberrant behaviour, but not pockets!
John
A: 'Out of his tree' usually means mad or crazy. So perhaps this is just the Americans mangling the language again?
Q: Dear Kel, two words that are driving me bonkers lately are: Systemic vs Systematic I hear it used, misused & abused by many in the media... Would you please, kindly clarify, the appropriate use of each? Warm regards Charlotte
A: 'Systematic' means 'thoroughly and carefully, ' while 'systemic' means affecting the whole thing, the whole system. So, they are different words with clearly different meanings.
Q: Love your segment on Credlin - on ya Kel. Here's a couple of words/expressions I though you may want to explore (if you haven't already and I missed it). 'Hoodwinked'; 'Pissed as a fart'. Regards, Michael
A: 'Hoodwinked' -- from the 1500s is based on the image the metaphor) of someone being mentally 'blindfolded.'' 'Pissed as a fart' -- 'Piss' came into English from French (in the 1300s) as a coarse word for urine and appears in various combinations including being used as a vulgar word for alcohol.
Q: From where does the saying 'cat got your tongue?' originate? I cannot find a definitive answer! Nat
A: That's because no one knows! The origin of the phrase 'has the cat got your tongue?' isn't known. What is certain is that it isn't derived as a reference to the cat o' nine tails or people's tongues being fed to cats in ancient Egypt. Both of these have been suggested and there's no shred of evidence to support either of them. 'Cat got your tongue?' is the shortened form of the query 'Has the cat got your tongue?' and it is the short form that is more often used. It is somewhat archaic now but was in common use until the 1960/70s. It was directed at anyone who was quiet when they were expected to speak, and often to children who were being suspiciously unobtrusive.
Q: Love your segment with Peta and your daily emails. Taking to heart your request for more word queries - I usually don't send them in because I can't remember if you have covered them or they may be uninteresting. Let me know if my queries become annoying.
1. First segment of the year with Peta ended with her saying we will "give it a burl" next week. History? Usage?
2. Last week Peta again - "smart as a whip" ?
3. Peta tonight "shambolic"?
4. button-hole someone (to detain them?) and the word button
5. My guilty pleasure is Married at First Sight and word of the week a while ago was a woman revelling in turning into a self professed "slag". My recollection of "slag" in the '70's was that it was very derogatory when used about a woman, but had a different meaning when used in the form 'slag someone off'. My grammar usage lessons about the form escape me, but it was a somewhat admirable term describing dressing someone down.
6. "Weak as cat's p!$$" in a recent popular tv show on netflix a scene set in World War 2 showed a young girl complaining her soup was "weak as cat's p!$$" and it took me right back to my grandmother's complaints whenever someone outside the family made her tea. My question is this - anyone who has spent time around cats would think the last word to describe their pee is "weak" - sometimes the smell can nearly knock you over. So interested in how this saying came about and its popularity.
I try never to miss your segments with Peta, and you discussing "lieutenant" has been the highlight of the year so far - I just wish you had more words (and time) to go into that degree of depth about. Audrey
A: 1. These days 'give it a burl' is an Australian expression, but 'burl' comes from an English dialect word (from Scotland and northern England) meaning 'spin' or 'twirl.' So, it means 'give it a spin' --which (sort of) makes sense.
2. 'Smart as a whip' (sometimes as 'whip smart') is American (from the 1820s) originally with the meaning of sharp and lively -- since that's what the application of the whip does to a horse.
3. 'Shambolic' is a jocular expression from the 1970s meaning chaotic -- possibly a combination of 'shamble' and 'symbolic.'
4. 'buttonhole' -- from the 1870s, meaning to accost someone, as if by grabbing their lapels.
5. 'slag' -- comes from a Germanic source word, and since its arrival in English in the 1500s has meant that which is worthless (such as slag from metal smelting) -- it is applied to people to mean 'a contemptible person.' The verb 'to slag off' comes from the same source.
6. 'Cat's piss' -- 'Piss' came into English from French (in the 1300s) as a coarse word for urine and appears in various combinations (such as this one) to indicate 'worthless' or 'weak'.
Q: Hi Kel, The American meanings for “out of pocket” are new to me. Personally I prefer the more traditional ones. When I first came to Australia, I was told a patient had “gone walkabout” and in my ignorance, I asked when they would be back!! I think "off the grid" is a much better expression for “out of touch” if we want to be trendy. Thanks, Aileen
A: 'Gone walkabout' is a lovely old Aussie expression. Should be used more often!
Q: Can you explain 'pejorative' please? James.
A: An utterance which is 'pejorative' is contemptuous -- it shows disapproval of someone or insults them. The word came into English in the late 1800s from a post-classical Latin word that literally means 'to make worse.'
Q: Morning Kel, I thought "facing the music" was preparing for battle with, for example, bagpipes, leading the army forward to the battle. You were facing the enemy and the likely consequences. Regards, Cliff
A: Yes, that may be right. The Oxford says: "Origin uncertain and disputed: suggestions include reference to a nervous performer coming onstage in musical theatre, or to the practice of drumming a soldier out of his regiment, or to various military uses of music."
Q: Hi Kel, love your segment on the fabulous Credlin. I’m interested in the origin and diversity of the word ‘pretty’. It means lovely/pleasing to the eye etc. but how has it come to describe polar opposites e.g. pretty hot/pretty cold; good/bad, happy/sad, big/small, angry/calm etc. Has it just evolved in language? Hoping you can help, many thanks. Cheers! Annie
A: When 'pretty' appeared (more than a thousand years ago) in Old English it first meant cunning or crafty. But it came to mean clever or elegant or well-made -- often in a delicate or diminutive way (hence its application to young women and children). Over the centuries it developed a range of meanings. My best guess is that it became a broad word used to name something that could not be exactly quantified. Hence its use as an adjective to mean 'more or less' or 'generally.'
Q: Where do the following 2 sayings emanate from. “I’m all ears”. “She’s the cat’s mother”. They are both sayings I learnt from my parents and still use to this day. I look forward to finding out more. Kind Regards., Felicity
A: 'All ears' is just a hyperbolic way of saying 'attentive.' 'Cat's mother' -- the origin is unclear, but it is believed to have originated in the early 20th century. The phrase may have been inspired by the role of cats in English domestic culture. This phrase is often used in response to someone who uses pronouns without mentioning the name of the person they are referring to. It may be drawing a distinction between how we talk about animals and how we talk about people.
Q: I was plodding through another Bernie Salt column in the W/end Australian magazine, when I chanced upon his use of the word ‘envisioned’. Now I know what this management babble term is taken to mean, but my question is: why and when did we stop using ‘envisaged’? Analysing the choice doesn’t help much, but might it be due to misunderstanding the underlying action? The point of this ‘process of imagination’ is surely for us to be able to recognise something at face value, i.e., its ‘visage’, not simply conjure up a Banjoesqe ‘vision splendid’!
A: 'Envisage' is recorded from 1820, 'envision' from 1921 (why the definition of 'envisage'!) Why it was ever thought necessary to invent a slightly different synonym I have no idea.
Q: Hi Kel -- Re mad as a meat axe. In my youth in was always mad as a meat ant. As anyone who has stood on, or near, a meat ants nest will know they jump about frenetically, and bite. That version seems to be more apposite, to me. Regards, Paul
A: I hadn't heard the 'meat ant' version -- so thank you for that.
Q: With regard to -- ‘donkeys meet’, no authoritative source but my suggestion is based on onomatopoeia: child says “What did you SAY?” Answered with “When donkeys meet they BRAY”, abbreviated to remove the (self-evident) rhyme: seems plausible to me… It is ‘of a piece’ with other ‘old-time working class’ cliched rejoinders to ‘put down’ an inquisitive child, e.g., it asks “Why” and is told “Because Y is a crooked letter and you won’t get a straight answer!” or “But that’s not fair!”/“Neither is a black boy’s bottom.” Cheers, John
A: Certainly possible.
Q: Here’s one that puzzles me in regard to collective nouns. We say the company ‘is’ making a profit, the group ‘is’ planning a tour, etc. but we say the police ‘are’ hiring more recruits. Is there a grammatical explanation for this variation? Regards, Nev
A: Words such as 'company' and 'group' (and many others) are called 'collective nouns singular.' That is, although they refer to multiple persons they form a single group, and so take the singular form of the verb. But there are some group names that seem not to follow this rule. Why is unclear. Perhaps it's because a word such as 'police' often attaches to a single individual (e.g. 'police officer', 'police sergeant' etc.)? Sometimes there appears to be uncertainty as to whether a group name is singular or plural-- e.g. 'team'. Should it be 'the team is playing well' or 'the team are playing well'? I think the second is incorrect and only the first should be used. -- but these days many people seem to be comfortable using the second. But that doesn't help us much with the word 'police.' Is it because 'police' first came into English (in the 1400s) as a verb. I'll give it more thought.
Q: re: 'motherism' -- 1. The term “motherism” IMHO is unlikely to take hold. That is because it does not express the negativity intended by its inventors. Some such terms, such as ‘racism’ use the negative term and encapsulate the derogatory aspect of the term. Others use the single aspect of the bias or prejudice the term highlights, such as ‘sexist’, ‘ageist’ etc.
‘Mother’ is not the negative or the bias intended here. What is perceived as negative is the ‘stay at home’ aspect (sometimes called ‘homemaker’), but is not captured by the term ‘motherism’.
2. On a personal level I agree that the option of ‘stay at home mother’ is the best for the children. My wife and I decided on it after we had our 2nd child. The main reason was that my wife held the firm opinion that it’s best for the children. A contributing factor was that it was too expensive for my wife to work. The child care costs and other costs (cooking, cleaning etc) if we both worked exceeded the money my wife would have earned. here was no subsidised child care and our family couldn’t help. So the decision was all but made for us. Cheers, John
A: I agree with both your points. Well made.
Q: Question what is the meaning of "morganatic"? Regards, Gordon
A: Designating or relating to a marriage in which a man of high rank marries a wife of lower rank, but neither the wife nor any children of the marriage have any claim to the possessions or title of the husband. The concept of the morganatic marriage is not found in English law. However, such marriages have been common among other (especially German) royal houses, and it is chiefly with reference to these that the word is found in English. The word itself comes from post-classical Latin (with the literal meaning of 'morning gift'.)
Q: Last week during the rugby league the ref told the players he didn't want to see any more shenanigans and during the week I heard a politician use the term in some reference to the Tassie election, what's the origin of this term, it sounds as Irish as my last name, Peter
A: Shenanigan seems to have originated in California at about the time of the Gold Rush, though it was first recorded in print only in 1855. Dictionaries give different origins (Oxford Dictionaries — as so often — opting for the ultra-cautious “origin unknown”). The word looks Irish, and there was no shortage of Irishmen in the California diggings, so it’s plausible to suggest the Irish word sionnachuighm as the source, meaning ‘I play tricks’, which is pronounced roughly as ‘shinnuckeem’. Others argue it comes from an East Anglian dialect word nannicking for playing the fool. Yet others guess at a link with the Spanish word chanada for a trick or deceit, which is another half-way plausible source, considering California’s history. Yet another theory was put forward in 1948 in American Speech for an origin in German schinnagel for a nail that holds the rim to the wheel, which produced the German slang terms schinageln, to work, and Schenigelei, a trick.
Q: I believe that a great number of people today cannot live without applying their opinions to the way people wish to live their lives. I base my views on live and let live and agree with you on todays topic, leave the mothers alone that care with effort and love to raise their child. We may need a further addition for those that criticise "Interfereist or Meddleist" Best Regards Gary
A: Particularly true, sadly, of governments that want to interfere in every aspect of our lives.
Q: How did the term “blower” when referring to the telephone come about? Steve
A: Because of a precursor of the telephone -- the speaking tube. These were common on ships -- between the bridge and the engine room. They were also (oddly enough) at one stage used in big department stores. You could speak into the tube or put it to your ear and listen. To let the person at the other end know you wanted to talk, you blew into the tube, which caused it to whistle at the other end. Hence, 'blower.'
Q: You are going to be swamped with heat on this topic of "motherism" -- as one of 5 kids back in the 60's, I was staggered at my mother's (unpaid) unremitting workload every day of the year.
No one worked harder, though my father thought she "had it easy!" Anne
A: I think that's the point. Users of this word don't appreciate unpaid work -- and the need small children have for their mother.
Q: I've often wondered where the phrase " never look a gift horse in the mouth " originated from, and what it actually means? John
A: You can tell a horse's age by looking at its teeth -- if you are offered a horse as a gift, it is rude to check it age (offensive to the giver).
Q: Gooday Kel, When I was a young lad (1950-ish), if my mother made a comment and I did not hear her clearly or understand, I would say "pardon, what did you say". If she then repeated herself and I still did not pick it up clearly and said "What did you say again", she would respond with "Donkey's meat" or donkey's meet. That was always the end of the conversation, but I never got an explanation as to the meaning of the phrase. Can you assist?? Regards, Marty.
A: Help! This is a new one on me. Can any reader offer any suggestions please?
Q: Hi Kel, A couple of questions: The Whole Box and Dice, In Like Flynn, and whatever happened to hyphens, e.g. to-day, co-operate, Thanks, Jen
A: Hi. I dealt with 'In Like Flynn' back on the 17th -- you can find it one the history page of ozwords.com.au. The wole box and dice (meaning everything) comes from gambling -- two dice and a container (or box) to throw them from are all you need to start a game. And, yes, there seems to be a prejudice against hyphens these days. Is it because of the 'word wrap' feature on computers, that we didn't have on typewriters?
Q: Where did the phrase "it's gone pair shaped" come from? Stephanie.
A: "It's gone pear shaped' is air force slang for a pilot trying to loop the loop who fails to make a round circle, and flies in a wobbling 'pear shape' instead. From that origin it spread out to mean anything that has gone wrong.
Q: What is the origin of the term hang over ? Petra
A: If you have a hangover, the effects of alcohol are 'hanging over' from the day before.
Q: Where did ‘Getting off Scots free’ originate? Stewart
A: It refers to a bill or debt which was once (in medieval English) called a 'shot'--so 'scot-free' means free of debt or free of punishment.
Q: Origin of " I'll use your guts for garters" Tony
A: The guts of animals were once used to string musical instruments--so cutting out someone's guts to make another use of them is a threat of violence
Q: Is it bad English to say, for example, "9:00am tomorrow morning"? James
A: If you say "am" the word "morning" is redundant. It's not grammatically wrong, just stylistically bad.
Q: Kel, this came up recently in a conversation and perhaps on Credlin you could enlighten us as to its origins. The term "Bald as a Badger". A Badger is not bald so how did this one come about? Philip
A: It's a jocular expression coined not because badgers are bald, but just for the alliteration of the two Bs.
Q: Where is Woop-Woop or the ‘back of Woop-Woop’? Sue
A: Part of what Russell Ward called “the Australian legend” has always been those mythical outback towns – places you won’t find on any map, but which symbolise the remoteness of life in the bush. When I was a boy the one I heard mentioned most often was “Bullamakanka”. It scores an entry in the Macquarie Dictionary where it’s defined as “an imaginary remote and insignificant town.” Bullamakanka belongs on the same imaginary map as “Oodnagalahbi”, and “Woop Woop” (which turns up in such expressions as “from the back of Woop Woop” meaning “from far, far away”). Then there was the mythical town of “Bundiwallop” – sometimes known as “Bandywallop” (under which variation it used to appear on the children’s television program Mr Squiggle). And when I was compiling the WordMap dictionary I came across another of these mythical town names: “Wheelyabarraback”. Each exists only in the Aussie imagination – where they paint a mental picture of dry, dusty, remote existence (the verbal equivalent of a Russell Drysdale painting).
Q: I was wondering where the saying “oh my giddy Aunt” came from? Generally said when some shocked or exasperated. Tracey
A: Used as an exclamation expressing surprise, consternation, etc. it's a British colloquial expression dating back to 1886.
Q: My mother always used this saying when she didn’t know something.
“It’s a wigwam for a gooses bridle” Does this have a history or was it something that just she said. Phill
A: It's a nonsense expression coined as a way of fobbing off small children with a non-explanation. It began in the 1890s and generations of parents (grandparents, aunts and uncles) have used it ever since. It never meant anything, and was never intended to.
Q: People say "I am going to talk to someone" but should it not be speak? Peter
A: These synonyms change in prominence only ,because language (like everything else) has fads. Both remain among the 1,000 most common words in English, and grammatically they are interchangeable. Cheers, Kel
Q: The meaning of the following phrases: 1. I’m behind the door. and 2 Shickered. Thanks. Leigh
A: "Shickered" is Australian in origin (meaning drunk). It comes from a Yiddish source word. "I'm behind the door" is not an expression I've encountered.
Q: Where does the saying hunky dory come from, my mother use to say everything is hunky dory. Karen
A: It's American. 'Hunky' comes from a Dutch source word--since it was the Dutch who first settled on Manhattan Island (New York was once New Amsterdam). The 'dory' part seems to have been added as a kind of rhyming reduplication (which is common in English).
Q: Referring to someone mentally unstable as nuts . Where did that come from , and does it have anything to do with real nuts ? John
Q: Where does the phrase "Rule of Thumb" derive from? Jason
A: Just like the word 'foot' it was a length of measure coming from the days before rulers were common.
Q: Wondering about the word ‘kerfuffle’ - not sure if this is the correct spelling. Glen
A: Also spelled 'curfuffle.' It comes from Scots. When something went wrong they called it a 'fuffle' (almost an onomatopoeic word). If it went very wrong it had an intensifier added and was a 'curfuffle'.
Q: “Beyond the pale” I understand hails from Ireland , but can you explain its origin relative to the common interpretation of such? Simon
A: The pale was a protective fence around a town. Our word for a paling fence comes from the same source. Anyone unfit to reside in the town was ejected, and had to live outside the safety of the protective fence -- they were 'beyond the pale.'
Q: The word Woke. I have discovered the original meaning. A black-American jazz singer (born 1888) Huddie William Ledbetter (aka Lead Better) in 1930 came up with the term Woke. Now my curiosity is solved. Wendy
A: It's older than that -- recorded from 1891. But it certainly originated as a colloquial term in American Black English.
Q: Hi Kel, Love watching your segment on Credlin. We know the meaning of "Long in the tooth" but many people may not. Please explain. Frank and Eileen
A: It comes (as I'm sure you know) from judging the age of a horse from its teeth. Now, it's just used to mean old.
Q: Can you help me with ‘cobber’, that ultimate replacement for ‘mate’. We hear it less these days. Chris
A: 'Cobber' came into Australian English from a Yiddish word 'chaver' -- pronounced KAH-VAH (meaning 'friend').
Q: Today I have coined a new Oz Word. In this era of "Albo-gration." People, not mentioning anyone in particular, (Clare O'Neil springs to mind today for some reason!) were once accused of "abrogating" their responsibility when they refused to face up to their failures. Today, this is known as "Albo-grating" responsibility. Anything negative can be Albograted. When all else fails, Labor Ministers will be encouraged to say, "I Albograte that!" All responsibility melts away. It's all someone else's fault. The matter has been Albograted. Robert.
A: Very clever. Let's see if it catches on.
Q: Hi Kel, what is the origin of the expression, ‘the jug is up?’ Cheers, Adam
A: Back in the 1500s 'jig' started off meaning a lively dance, but the word diversified over time. One thing it came to mean was a joke, a trick or cheat -- 'the jig is up' means you've been found out and the game is up.
Q: Re: Pi -- Kel, the volume of a pizza of radius Z and height A is Pi*Z*Z*A. Geoff.
A: You are a clever cloggs!
Q: The use of the Greek letter pi came from the number representing periphery in the ratio of periphery to diameter (or their Latin equivalents) using the Greek letters lower case pi (for p) and delta (for d). John.
A: 'Periphery' (using the Greek p -- π ) versus 'diameter' -- I don't know that. Thank you.
Q: The other Pi Day is 22/7 FYI. It is also more accurate! Regards, Amr
A: I left out that information because I thought it was complicated enough already! But, yes, in the non-American anglophone world the 22nd of July is Pi Day.
Q: Hello Kel, What has happened to the word "spoke". Eg, we once said "we spoke of that the other day" but now everyone, newsreaders, radio commentators say "we talked of that the other day". "Talked" has taken over. Thanks Kel. Malcolm
A: There are fads in language just as there are in every branch of life. What you have noticed may just be a linguistic fad. However, the latest figures (which are only from 2010, so may be out of date) show that 'spoke' turns up about every 200 times in one million words, while 'talk' turns up around 140 times. Google's Ngram Viewer gives us slightly more up-to-date figures, up to 2019. But it also shows 'spoke' being used more often than 'talk.' 'Spoke' appears 0.014% of the time, and 'spoke' 0.008% (But, as I say, those numbers may have now changed.)
Q: Kel, in the course of a few minutes’ reading of ‘The Australian’ this morning, I encountered two instances of ‘errant’ being used where it would be my natural instinct to use ‘arrant’. Having Googled them, I’m not persuaded that my first instinct was wrong, let alone ‘errant’. But then we have to consider knights errant… and the confusion is redoubled! Your thoughts, when you have time, would be appreciated. John
A: The words are related. Both go back to Old English. 'Errant' came first and 'arrant' appears to have arisen as corruption of 'errant.' The core notion of 'errant' is wandering. So, a 'knight errant' was a 'wandering knight.' But the most common wanders were beggars and thieves -- so 'arrant' arose to mean 'unmitigated' as in 'unmitigated rogue.' Today they should be used with care, despite their related origins. 'Arrant' is now only used as an adjective to emphasise badness. My observation is that 'errant' is now dated and used mainly in references to the past (such as 'knight errant'). Although 'errant' is (occasionally) used to mean something like 'disobedient.'
Q: Hello again Kel, I have noticed a recent trend in s's instead of s' Example was a quote on Sky today...Hamas's. Is this now accepted? Best regards, Craig
A: No, it is not! But remember that for 40 years grammar was not taught in the school system. What you are seeing is ignorance on parade! So, blame their teachers.
Q: Why do today's practitioners imagine tacking 'gate' as a suffix to another word signifies a scandal or controversy? It's insulting at so many levels. You'd well recall the whole historic imbroglio that came from an inept break-in at the 'Watergate Apartments' in Washington DC.
One bloody word, a simple proper noun. It wasn't at the 'Water Gate Apartments' for heaven's sake. But, more significantly than this craft laziness, using the 'gate ' suffix' for anything they want us to think is important demeans the historical significance of the event. I heard 'Kategate' last week. Seriously? The 'Watergate' break-in's ultimate result was an American president resigning; hardly the same magnitude as any of the issues to which lazy and historically ignorant writers attach the suffix now. Most current 'gate' headlined stories are so inconsequential they don't make it to the next day's coverage. As, indeed, they should not. Blokes of our vintage can recall many years of 'Watergate' headlines, and well remember the thousands of column inches in which the phrase 'expletive deleted' dominated. Now that was a proper scandal. Keep at it Kel: brilliant work. Regards, Geoff
A: I have often said that poor English expression comes from either a lazy mouth or a lazy mind. Everything you say about this is correct -- and it clearly comes from lazy minds.
Q: We often hear of someone living "the life of Riley". To my knowledge, it implies a life of great comfort and perhaps wealth. I certainly do not live a life of Riley, but my Jack Russel gets close!
My question is: who was Riley? Perhaps an Irishman? I look forward to your response. Many thanks, Trevor
A: The Oxford English Dictionary says: The phrase is frequently said to have originated in the words of a song, but although many songs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries feature a person called Riley or Reilly, none has been identified as furnishing a clear source for the exact phrase. However, the supposedly historical figure of William Reilly (or Riley), an Irishman who eloped with his sweetheart and was saved from execution by her declaration that she had gone with him voluntarily, featured in several popular 18th- and 19th-cent. ballads, and even a novel by William Carleton (Willy Reilly, and his dear Coleen Bawn, 1855), and the phrase may perhaps originally have alluded to him. (It dates from the early 1900s.)
Q: Yonks: new to me coz I'm from America. In this case I didn't find it in a book but from an ad hoc news blog. Cheers - Jim
A: It probably began as a contraction of a jocular expression -- 'donkey's years' (meaning a long time). If donkey's 'ears' and long then donkey's 'years' must be long! (That was the old joke.) 'Yonks' appears to be the Y from 'years' followed by the '--onk' from 'donkey.'
Q: Hi Kel, on the topic of new words/expressions I came across the term, ‘lifestyle inflation’ which apparently is an occurrence which indicates that as more money is invested on standard of living (e.g. streaming services, expensive clothes, or an integrated fridge/freezer in the kitchen), such luxuries are perceived as necessities. Thought you might find this of interest. It appears to me to be a different kind of cost of living altogether. Cheers, Adam
A: Thanks for this. Yes, it's new to me too -- but a useful expression.
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Overused words:
Hi Kel, to your list I’d have to add incredible and incredibly. Obviously meaning unable to be believed, it’s applied to stuff that’s barely even surprising. Regards, Paul
Moving forward, Tony
Kel I’m fed up with "down to the wire". Brian
A few teeth-grinding examples:
· Moving forward - where else would they move? Backwards?
· Disgusting -= can’t people find a synonym?
· Absolutely - you have covered this before, but what’s wrong with “yes”? Or even “of course”?
· We take (whatever - Safety? Privacy? Responsibilities? ) seriously - The time and space filler when something bad has happened and they don’t want to own up. Optus not apologising for its failure to protect customers’ information, for example.
Kind Regards, Mark
Kel, Very simply:
* anything even vaguely tautological, esp. Julia Gillard’s “mo-o-ving forward”… , e.g., ‘continue on’, ‘return back’.
* any ‘management speak’/‘waffle word’ phrases that take multiple words where one suffices, e.g., ‘At this particular point in time’ = ‘now’.
* and a special place in the lowest circle of Hell for those who ‘watch on’… aargh!
That’s better… John
Overused words:
1. absolutely;
2. to be honest;
3. I guest;
there is a lot of guessing going on, to absolutely honest with you!
Drives me nuts! Nicholas
Very! People have limited vocabularies so when they exaggerate it’s always very something. And whenever someone describes something as ‘very unique,’ I always ask, ‘as opposed to a little unique?’ Cheers, Adam
…..when it’s all boiled down….. Janelle.
Another two words that get used wrongly and repeatedly in the media are catastrophic and unprecedented. Generally, by inexperienced young journalists looking to create click bait and sensationalise articles – particularly where climate is involved. Love your work. Regards, John
I suggest one of the best examples of the (like) deterioration of our language is the current fashion (like) of interjecting every third sentence with the word "like". Like it's just downright asinine! Not long ago this was confined to the high school playground, but it crept into conversation even on radio and television! Rodney
Hi Kel, The word that always irritates me is awesome. Everything is declared awesome these days, whether it’s a good film or being in a good mood. What do you say when something actually does make your jaw drop. Interestingly, it seems to be more overused in Australia. In other countries how are you? might be answered by “well’ or ”good “ or (particularly in Scotland) “not too bad”. In Australia, the answer is “awesome “. Thank you. Aileen
Please add 'crisis' and 'unprecedented' to your list. These are mostly used by the media as click bait. Barry
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Q: Hello Kel, Enjoying your segments on Sky and 6PR but unfortunately neither allow you enough time. I was hoping you can give me the reasoning for the slang term Boat Race or a Boatie as in a fixed horse race. Best regards, Craig
A: This is a new one on me. Give me some time, I'll do some digging. The big (real) boat race is the annual one between Oxford and Cambridge on the Thames. In that race, the first boat to get a lead can move into the middle of the river where the current is strongest, and they become unbeatable. In racing parlance, a 'boat race' is an event where one entrant is unbeatable because the others are not really trying -- so, perhaps that's why it's called a 'boat race'? That's just my guess, so I dig some more.
Q: Why is the expression 'rolled gold' used to imply a certain or guaranteed outcome when rolled gold is actually a thin gold coating over a base metal. It's not even solid gold. It doesn't make sense. Thank you. Frances
A: What makes rolled gold unique is its layered composition. It is made by bonding a thin layer of gold onto a base metal through a process called heat and pressure bonding. The amount of gold used in the process determines the karat value of the rolled gold. For example, 14k rolled gold has a layer of 14-karat gold bonded onto a base metal. Rolled gold is (apparently) much better than gold plating -- so anything that is very good is said to be rolled gold.
Q: Hi Kel, where does "a heads up" originate? I notice the term has been in our lexicon for a while. Thanks, Cheers Jim.
A: You're right that it's been around for a while -- since around 1788. It was originally a military command -- meaning stand up straight, Nowadays we use it to mean an alert -- from the image of looking up and paying attention.
Q: Hello Kel, could you please explain the origin of the expression ‘hair of the dog’? Thank you. Ken
A: It is the excuse used by someone suffering from a hangover to have another drink. It comes from homeopathy -- a pseudo-scientific form of alternative medicine. Homeopathy is based on the notion that "like cures like". For example, if a lot of arsenic will make you very sick then a small amount will make you well (and so on with any other substance). The practice of homeopathy involves diluting whatever substance is used down until it is virtually diluted out of existence. So, to use the arsenic example again, a small amount is diluted in water, then this water is diluted in even more water, and this is done over and over again until the water is so diluted it contains no chemically detectable amount of the original substance. Homeopathists talk about "the memory of water" -- although there is no measurable amount of the original substance left, they claim the water "remembers" it, and contains its "properties." Homeopathy was invented by a German, Samuel Hahnemann, in 1796. The late Queen Mother believed in this stuff. And so, supposedly, does King Charles III.
Q: G'day Kel. Here's a word worthy of the Word of the Day: "asseverate". I've never used it, never come across it before, but just read it in a '50s novel. Amazing.... Horsy
A: Perhaps I should start a segment on 'lost words'? This is a lovely old word, and it's a pity it has been lost. 'Asseverate' is related to our still familiar word 'assert' -- to assert something vigorously is to 'asseverate.'
Q: New English word: Not yet found in the Oxford dictionary, but discovered to be a "coined" new word on T-shirts sold on eBay: Finally, a brand new English word that describes not only the present but our future -- INEPTOCRACY - (in-ep-toc'-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead, are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers. Lou.
A: This new word captures Mark Steyn's famous remark that 'Almost all governments get almost everything wrong almost all the time.'
Q: I refer to a person of Nobility as My Lord or My Lady; where do the terms LORDSHIP or LADYSHIP originate? Enjoy your segment with Credlin, Mike
A: The suffix '-ship' is added to adjectives and past participles to denote the state or condition of being so-and-so. Such compounds were numerous in Old English, and many survived (or were re-coined) in Modern English. It came into Old English from a Germanic source word.
Q: Dear Kel, I’ve written to you before about the phrase “In and of itself”. It’s used so often these days. So far I still haven’t found a satisfactory explanation of what this means. Self refers to a living being as far as I understand, like a spirit or an ego. “In and of”; what the hell does that mean??? Can you please help me to understand this? Thanks and best regards, Tom
A: "In and of itself" is called a 'reflexive pronoun phrase.' So, it is a whole phrase that acts as a pronoun, which reflects back on itself (on what it is referring to). It plays the role of being limiting -- or drawing a boundary that says, 'this is about this and nothing else.'
Q: Kel, I thoroughly enjoy reading your weekly article in the Spectator. Having read your observations regarding the phrase 'face the music" I would be interested in your views regarding the expression "a small fortune" having regard to the reality that it refers to a large fortune! Greg.
A: The Oxford defines it in these words: "(colloquial): used to designate the extravagantly large amount paid for some object of expenditure, or any large sum of money." It's recorded from 1791. So, it was always a figure of speech. The correct technical name for this figure of speech is, I think, ' Meiosis' -- 'A figure of speech by which something is intentionally presented as smaller, less important, etc., than it really is; understatement (frequently ironic). Also in extended use.' (Oxford)
Q: Hi Kel, I listen to your spot on John Stanley's show. I was wondering about the origin of the term 'Fanny Fanackapan'. My mum used to refer to people as Fanny Fanackapan and I have been thinking of it a lot lately. I cannot find its origin. Thank you. Esme.
A: There was also 'Fred Fanackerpan.' Both nonsense names came to be used as terms of endearment -- usually addressed to young children. As far as I can discover the 'Fanackerpan' name comes from a Gracie Fields song from the 1930s (called 'Fred Fanackerpan).
Q: Suggestions for the "Words Matter" segment with Peta Credlin, given Peta promotes debate and reasoned discussion: its opposite is Misology. Is there an "ology" word for reasoned based discussion?
A: 'Misology' is hatred of reason or discussion. The problem with finding an "ology" word to say the opposite is that the ancient Greek word for "reason" is "logos" -- from which we get "ology." There is a rare word 'logology' that usually means the science of words but given the scope of "logos" it could also mean the science of reasoning.
Q: You have likewise taken me back to my boyhood. The "Ham and Beef Shop" is where you got the treats like Pork Fritz, Garlic Sausage, Devon Sausage, Ham and Chicken sausage, Continental frankfurts. We, like you, ate tripe, lamb's fry, kidneys, sweetbreads, stuffed beef or sheep hearts, brain. They were cheap as you said, and good protein. Spaghetti out of a can on toast or school sandwiches, OK too. Good old days. Amazing how much of the "cucina povera" we grew up on has become trendy and high priced. Thank you for the trip back to some good memories. Cheers. David
A: That spaghetti out of a tin was good for school lunches -- because it was moist, and the bread was dry (back before cling wrap).
Q: Kel, when I was a child doing the messages (very old term) for my mother I used to love to go into the ham and beef shop on the Corso in Manly. I can almost conjure up its wonderful smells still although my favourite food from there was devon which probably didn’t have a smell at all. I liked tripe until I got a bit older and it dawned on me that everyone else found it repulsive which put me off it! Kathy
A: Yes! I can remember "doing the messages" (meaning going shopping) for my mother too.
Q: Hi Kel, As German often has words of similar sounds to English, I imagine ‘delicat’ means delicate (maybe like special in this context) and ‘essen’ means to eat. Regards, Martin
A: That does make sense, doesn't it? It sounds pretty right to me.
Q: G'day Kel, can you tell me about the origin of "Easter Day", being the Sunday? It was referred to as Easter Day in the old church prayer books, but today most people call it Easter Sunday. Horsy.
A: Good thinking. It was called 'Easter Day' because it was the day of the resurrection -- and Easter is all about the resurrection. I have recently written a booklet called "Easter: Fact and Fiction: It's available here: Easter Fact and Fiction – matthiasmedia.com.au.
Q: Kel, Many years ago, I worked for an earthmoving company in Broken Hill. Each morning the supervisors would give the machinery operators and truck drivers their 'plod', which was their instructions for the jobs required of them for the day. That word might have been just local vernacular, but maybe it's worth tracing. Cheers, Chris
A: This is Australian slang from 1935. Originally your 'plod' was your 'worksheet recording details of an employee's (esp. a miner's) day's work.' The seems to be a corruption of 'plot' (in the sense of a plan made by a group of people).
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