Your comments and questions:

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Q:  Peter asks for the origin of the expression 'the long arm of the law.'

A: The earliest version seems to have been in the plural -- 'the long arms of the law'. In that form it first appeared in print in 1767 in a London newspaper (the Public Advertiser). It has always meant the inescapability of a well-staffed and organised police force. 

Q: Gordon asks why some people are being referred to as 'Islamists' when (he suggests) they established word for followers of Islam in 'Muslim.'

A: The reason is that unlike other major legions around the world Islam is two things, not just one thing. It is (1) a religion, and (2) a political ideology.  I think 'Islamist' is the word being used to mean the political adherents of Islam, not the religious adherents (who are still covered by the word Muslim). 

Q: Jim asks for the origin of the slang term "eleventy"? 

A: Children. Specifically small children who are just learning to county. They come to grips with 'twenty' and 'thirty' and so, and so they guess that ten must be followed by a word with a similar construction: 'eleventy.' Stephen Pinker argues that these sorts of constructions by small children show that human brains are "hard wired" for grammar -- hard wired to work out how language works, and to adapt their speech to patterns (real or imagined). 

Q: Philip writes: 'Somebody accused my wife of being passive aggressive. To me this seems to me to be on two opposite ends of actions. To me you can’t be passive and aggressive at the same time I would like your opinion on this.'

A: The reason 'passive-aggressive' makes no sense is that it is bit of psychological jargon -- the sort of thing the head shrinkers coin to pretend they know what's going on. They came up with this in 1945, and they claim it means behaviour 'in which aggression is expressed through passively obstructive behaviour.' And I agree with you -- I think the head shrinkers have no idea what they're talking about!

Q: Susie writes: ' I was wondering, where did the phrase “without further ado” originate.

And also, the origins of the term ‘babble’ when referring to someone’s speech. e.g, you are babbling.'

A:  'Babble' is ancient (goes back to the Germanic roots of English) and comes from the notion of what babies say when they are learning to speak--'ba,ba,ba...' So meaningless speech (like babies) is babbling. 'Ado' is also very old and once meant 'work' or 'fuss'--a form of 'having much to do'. So, 'no further ado' means 'no further fuss/ work/ nothing more to do.'  

Q: Jane asks me to look at the word 'snollygoster' -- which she thinks might apply to the Albanese government.

A: 'Snollygoster' is an American slang word from the mid-800s which means 'a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.' It seems to come from an old name for a mythical monster from the state of Maine. And the nice thing about 'snollygoster' is that it has its own collective noun -- rather like a 'pride' of lions or an 'unkindness' of ravens or a 'parliament' of owls. Well, the collective name for 'snollygosters' is a 'labor' of 'snollygosters.' Which is (I think) rather nice. 

Q: Matt writes: "The word 'menticide' (aka, brainwashing) came up in Megyn Kelly's podcast during her discussion with former CIA analyst Buck Sexton where he used it in his new book 'Manufacturing Delusion' to describe what the Left is doing to the Western World. What is known about this word?"

A: 'Menticide' is recorded from 1951, when it first appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry (in the February issue).  The official Oxford definition is 'The undermining or destruction of a person's mind or will, esp. by systematic means' and, yes, the Oxford connects it to brainwashing.  Every time the Albanese government misleads us (by claiming they have nothing to do with the ISIS brides, or that our economy that is spiralling out of control is doing just fine) -- they are guilty of attempted 'menticide.'

Q: Rosalin asks for the origin of the term 'southpaw' for left-handed people (of which she is one -- but she insists she no "leftie"!)

A:  It comes from American baseball, where it began with left-handed batters being called 'southpaws.' This derives from the belief that ballparks were laid out with home plate to the west, which meant that a left-handed pitcher faced the west and threw with his “southern” limb. This westward orientation kept the glare of the afternoon sun out of the batter’s eyes and out of the eyes of the customers in the more expensive seats behind the plate during a game. 

Q: Jeff has written a question on behalf of his wife Maria: ' My Wife asked me to ask you what the origin of "behind the eight ball" is. We assume that it has a connection to the Game of Pool.'

A: It is indeed from the pool table. If you get the white ball (the striker ball) stuck right behind the black ball (he number 8 ball) then you are 'snookered' because you won't be able to hit the white ball in such a way as to sink one of the reds. So, your turn will end and will have earned no points from that bit of play.

Q: Susie asks about two phrases:  1. to have egg on your face 2. to be in the doldrums. 

A: (1) 'Egg on one's face' seems to go back no further than the middle years of the 20th century. Poet and linguist John Ciardi suggested an origin in the lower-class and more rowdy kind of theatre, in which an incompetent actor would have been pelted with eggs. The alternative is that it was a comment on a minor social gaffe at a meal, when poor manners or sloppy eating left egg around your mouth. Either might be correct. (2) 'Doldrums' originally meant dull and drowsy (and is probably a development of the word 'dull'). It became a maritime word for the equatorial regions where there is little wind and frequently very calm, still weather -- obviously a bad thing in the days of sailing ships. Nowadays it has changed, as we tend to talk about being 'in the doldrums' as feeling blue and a little depressed. 

Q: Michael asks: 'Why do we use negative adjectives in a positive way? e.g. my holiday was awfully good.'

A: Some qualifying words in English are emptied of their original meaning and are turned into what are all called 'emphasisers.' Then they are used simply as adjectives to add stress (with meaning) to the noun they qualify. It is an extremely common pattern in English. It has even happened in the word 'dead' (as in -- something is 'dead easy' or 'dead simple') -- and that change seems to have happened over 300 years ago. So, this sort of switch in English is just a part of the language. 

Q: Tiffy writes to ask why do Americans write (and say) 'Mom' with an 'O' in the middle while we write (and say) 'Mum' with a 'U' in the middle?

A: Both are (obviously) shortened versions of the word 'mother' (which is pronounced in standard English as MUTH-uh. The British (and Australian) pronunciation and spelling preserve sound of the word 'mother' while the American version seems to preserve the spelling. The American version seems to have come via the childish name 'momma' (M-O-M-M-A) while a more common version for children in British (and Australian) English was 'mamma' (M-A-M-M-A). Of course, black Americans used 'mammy' (with a long 'A' sound-- as famously recorded by Al Jolson). All of those child-like words largely died out in the early1900s to be replaced by 'mummy' here and 'mommy' in America. 

Q: Peter writes: 'been watching the winter Olympics, in some events commentators say the stance is either "regular" or "goofy" and wondered about the origin of "goofy"?'

A: 'Goofy' is American slang first recorded in 1916 -- so, well before Walt Disney called his cartoon horse 'Goofy.' It comes from the earlier expression 'goof' meaning a 'mistake' -- so someone who was 'goofy' was mistake prone. At least, that was the originally meaning, it has probably changed over the years and now is more likely to mean something like 'eccentric.'

Q: Leon writes to ask me to explain the difference between 'flaunt' and flout'.

A: 'Flout' means to defy or mock authority (it turns up in the 1500s and comes from a Middle English source word that meant 'to play the flute"--so I suppose there was a time when you could play the flute mockingly!). While 'flaunt' means to 'display ostentatiously' (and also comes from the 1500s). The similarity in their sound is purely accidental, but it results in them being what are called 'confusables' -- and there are many pairs of confusables in the English language. (founder/flounder, foment/ferment, frantic/frenetic, refute/rebut, cynical/sceptical--there are 100s of them!)

Q: Since my column on 'duds' meaning clothes, several readers have pointed that 'dud' can also mean 'broken' or useless.

A: And they are quite right, but it seems to be a different word -- possibly a development from the earlier 'duff' with the same meaning.

Q:  Adam writes: "Peta said the Prime Minister must be ‘cock-a-hoop’ about the disarray among the former coalition. Where does 'cock-a-hoop' come from?"

A:  The earliest appearance of 'cock-a-hoop' is from 1554--in a very different world from today.  A hundred years later (in 1670) Thomas Blount suggested that the cock was referring to a spigot, so it was being used in the same way that it now appears in stopcock. If the cock is the tap of a cask, then the hoop might be one of those wrapping the cask. Blount suggests that when people intended to seriously make merry, they took the cock out of the cask and laid it on one of its hoops, signalling that those present should drink unceasingly. As the first form of the expression was cock-on-hoop, this argument is plausible on etymological grounds.  

What is the origin of this fantastic adjective? 

Q: Fay asks: 'What does it mean to be “talking through your hat”?'

A: It means to speak without knowledge or understanding of a subject; to talk nonsense; to make foolish remarks. It's American in origin, first recorded (in the New York World newspaper) in 1888. None of the experts can tell me with any confidence where it comes from. However, the best suggestion anyone has come up with is that it originally painted an image of a person holding their hat over their mouth so that their words were muffled and incoherent. Possible.

Q:  Paul writes: 'Why do our politicians have the title "the honourable"?'

A: The parliamentary web site says that the honorific title 'represents the honour and responsibility of their roles.'  It does not apply to every politician, only to ministers, prime ministers, premiers and the speakers (or presidents) of a house of parliament. It also applies to judges of the High Court, Federal Court and state Supreme Courts. The word came into English from Anglo-Norman French around 1384 meaning 'worthy of honour.' It's use in parliaments and courts probably descends from the aristocratic title of 'honourable' which (originally) could be used by baronets (and others). 

Q: Adam asks why hitting a target in the centre is called hitting the "bullseye"?

A:  It clearly means hitting a small, precise target. The term “bullseye” began with archery. The most common theory dates back to how English archers would train -- using the skulls of bulls, the thought being that if the arrow could crack a bull’s skull it would probably also crack a human’s -- and the most precise and accurate shot went straight through the eye socket of the bull's skull.

Q: Phil writes: 'Can you tell me why the words everything & anything are now being pronounced
everythinK and anythinK by many people?'

A: I wish I could. It makes no sense to me. The people who speak like this would never spell those words with a terminal "K" -- so why do they say it? My guess is that they are trying to give the words a sharper, clearer, ending. But that is only a guess. Poor language comes from a lazy mouth or a lazy mind -- in this case they are not engaging their mind in what they are saying. 

Q: Glenn writes: 'I have a question with the political word, a political 'Spill'.  Where does this term come from?'

A: 'Spill' came into English from a Germanic source word. It's recorded from about 1340 with the meaning that we know "to pour out, to empty." So, when party leaderships are declared "empty' (as if a container had had all its liquid poured out) then that 'emptiness' is a spill. 

Q: Paul says that in the light of what is happening to interest rates, what is the origin of the word 'mortgage'?

A: It came into English around 1400 from a French source word (with a Latin word somewhere in the background). The 'gage' part means a value or a price (it is related the word 'wage'). It also means a pledge or pawn or security of some value. The 'mort' part means 'dead.' So, a 'mortgage' is a pledge or security that will expire, will be 'dead', at some point in the future.

Q: John writes: "hearing the (former) Coalition described as a rabble, got me wondering how that word came into usage?"

A: "Rabble" started life (in the 1400s) as a verb not a noun.  The verb "to rabble" came into English from Middle Dutch and meant to speak rapidly and incoherently (the sort of noise that a group, a "rabble", would make all speaking at once). It is related to the word 'babble.'

Q: Jim asks:   where did the derogatory term "tosser" come from?  

A: This is British slang rather than Australian. It's been used as a term of abuse and contempt since at least1977. It might mean 'wanker' (from the verbal form 'toss off') or it might mean a fool (i.e. drunkard) from the earlier term 'toss pot.' 

Q: Margaret writes: 'In the Prince Harry case the word "blagging" has been used. Where does this word come from?'

A: 'Blagging' is British slang for 'stealing.' The great slang expert Jonothan Green says it goes back to the late 1800s, and originally referred to robbery with violence, He thinks it may have started as a contraction of 'blackguard' (pronounced 'blaggard').

Q: Seb asks us to explain the expression 'hammer and tongs.'

A: It's recorded from 1708 with the meaning it still has today: hard work. It comes from the work of a blacksmith--who hammers heated iron that he holds with a pair of tongs, as the sweat pours down his face. The very picture of hard work.

Q: Riley wants us to discuss 'racism' -- what it means and why it matters.

A: 'Racism' means making a judgement about a person, or a group, based on race. In fact, it is most often a judgement or classification of a group based on their racial identity. The problem is that person's race is the most unimportant and irrelevant thing about them. Less than 3% of human DNA is concerned with those superficial things that we classify as 'race' -- the remaining 97% is our common humanity, and that is what matters. 

Q: While trying to ween himself off screens (a digital detox) Raymond came across the expression 'time sink' and wants to know more.

A: 'Time sink' was coined in 1977 to mean something that is time consuming and a waste of time. 'Time sink' is sometimes applied to an enjoyable but pointless activity. People addicted to online game playing might sometimes find themselves caught in a 'time sink.' 

Q: Reona writes: 'I would like to know where the expression “peppercorn rent” came from. I know what it means, but what is the origin?'

A:  In ancient times and throughout the Middle Ages, peppercorns were highly prized. They were not just a spice but also a commodity that was as valuable as gold. This was largely due to the spice trade, where spices like peppercorns were brought from the East to Europe at great expense and risk. Their rarity and the difficulty in obtaining them made peppercorns extremely valuable.  The use of a single peppercorn as rent in lease agreements became symbolic over time. It represented the idea of a nominal or token payment. This was a way to satisfy the legal requirement for a contract to have consideration (a value exchanged between parties), while acknowledging that the actual value exchanged was minimal or purely symbolic. 

Q: Aileen writes that people who resist new technology (such AI) are called 'luddites' and is interested in the background to the word.

A: Before the industrial revolution manufacturing in England was cottage based and used the skills of weavers, spinners and so on. With the invention of machines that could do these jobs English society was turned upside-down. Ned Ludd lived in a Leicestershire village about 1779, and in a fit of rage destroyed two of the new weaving frames so completely that the saying ‘Lud must have been here’ became common. By 1811 the name 'Luddite' had been taken up by a group of English mechanics and their friends, who (1811–16) set themselves to destroy manufacturing machinery in the midlands and north of England. Since then, anyone who objects to any new technology has been labelled a 'Luddite.'

Q: Jean writes: ' I've heard the word de-platformed a few times now in relation to the Middle East conflict and the broader issue of free speech, and I must admit I'm a bit confused by what it means. Can you help?'

A: 'Deplatform' means 'To prevent (a person, group, or organization) from contributing to a public forum or debate.'  It seems to have been coined in 2015. It was a word (and a policy) adopted by those who find themselves unable to engage in logical debate--and would rather simply silence those who disagree with them.

Q: Tim writes, ' I'm interested to know when (and why) "partner" took on its new meanings. Years ago, I thought it meant "business partner", or "dance partner", or "tennis partner" or "bridge partner", etc. But now legally married people talk about their "partner", as do de facto couples! 

A:  It was the sexually promiscuous community that wanted a name that wasn't a spousal name but was a bit more that boyfriend or girlfriend. In pursuing this they ruined the perfectly good word 'partner.' They wanted to leap from 'partner' to 'partner' like mountain goats leaping from rock to rock. This usage seems to date from the 1970s. 

Q: Martin asks for the meaning of the expression 'reasonable person' used in legal contexts?

A:  The term "reasonable person" refers to a legal standard. It describes a hypothetical individual who acts with the level of care, caution, and judgment that an average person would exercise in similar circumstances. This concept serves as a benchmark for evaluating whether someone's actions were appropriate and whether they failed to meet the expected standard of care. In practice, it is often the presiding judge who rules on what would be acceptable to a 'reasonable person' and what would not.

Q: Toni asks me to explain the different between 'brought' and 'bought'?

A: Both are the participle forms of verbs, but of two different verbs. 'Brought' comes from the verb 'to bring' while 'bought' comes from the verb 'to buy.' Look for the 'R' (in 'bring' and 'brought') to see which source verb is encapsulated. 

Q: Adam asks: 'What is the origin of the expression ‘you’ve got your work cut out for you.’

A: From the clothing industry. In both tailoring and dress making the fabric can be cut to size and then handed over to another person to stitch up -- and they are the people who "have their work cut out for them." We now use it figuratively -- there is a set amount of unavoidable work to do (with the implication that you may be pressed for time to do it).

Q: Jim asks: 'Where did " kick the bucket " and " bucket list " come from?  

A:  "Kick the bucket" comes from (believe it or not) a French word for the beams of a roof from which dying pigs were hung when their throats were cut. They kicked the beam as they died. "Bucket list" comes from it -- the list of things to do before one "kicks the bucket." 

Q: David writes: 'A word which puzzles me and that is "pulchritude" which looks and sounds as though it is something unpleasant but is defined by the Collins Dictionary as "physical beauty". No doubt you will know the origin or roots of this word.'

A:  It is a strange word. It came into English from classical Latin via French -- recorded in English from the 15th century.  It is now just an archaic and literary word. 

Q: Kent writes from South Melbourne to say that Antony Albanese is the epitome of Hanna Arendt's expression "the banality of evil". 

A:  You may very well think that -- I couldn't possibly comment.

Q:  Kel, one of the top buzzwords reported for 2025, for modern youth is 6/7, of unknown provenance and unknown meaning. Does this have any connection with the very old phrase, being at 6's and 7's. I gather this indecision comes from gambling with dice? Trevor.

A:  It comes from the height of US basketball player LaMello Ball. He is six feet seven inches tall. And it has a clear meaning: "so-so, not brilliant but okay." He is a flashy and popular player, but he's no Michael Jordan, he's just "so-so". His height was popularised as '6-7' in a rap song about him and was picked up by the kids. 

Q: Marcus asks about the expression 'on the cusp.'

A: 'Cusp' means a point of transition. In the 1500s it was sometimes used to name the entrance of a house. Since 1908 we've used it exclusively to mean 'point of transition.' It comes from the Latin word 'cuspis' meaning 'point' (as in the point of a spear or javelin).

Q:  Aileen writes: 'I just wondered where the word ripper came from. It’s generally complimentary unlike Jack the Ripper which was the only usage I had come across before. '

A: 'Ripper' is an Australian coinage used to indicate strong approval. It's recorded here from 1858 and comes from the notion that 'ripping' is a rapid action that requires strength (and 'rapid' and 'strength' are seen as good things). It often appears in the combination of 'bewdy, bottler, ripper' -- here 'bewdy' means 'beauty' and 'bottler' means 'your blood's worth bottling.

Q:  Tom writes: When the expression to GASLIGHT is used, what does it mean?'

A:  'Gaslight is applied these days to any attempt to persuade people not to trust their brains to tell them the truth. It comes from the 1944 movie 'Gaslight'; a thriller in which wife killer Charles Boyer tries to persuade his new young wife, Ingred Bergman that she is going mad when she interprets what she sees as being a threat to her. It's set in the era in which houses had gaslight not electricity, and in the movie the gaslights dim for no apparent reason. The word is applied these days to any politician who tries to persuade voters not to trust their own brains. The classic example is Anthony Albanese saying that renewable energy is the cheapest, so we should ignore the fact that our power bills keep rising! 

Q: Marianne writes: 'I came across the word “oomph” today in a word puzzle and wonder about its origin.'

A: The Oxford says it is 'An imitative or expressive formation.' It first appeared in print around 1900, but only became a common word used in conversation in the late 1930s. It's a word generated purely by the sound it makes -- it suggests excitement or energy and that's what it means. 

Q:  Dear Kel, “wriggle room” popped up in James Kirby’s article on the superannuation tax in The Australian today. I really think it’s an antipodean variant on “wiggle room”. My bet is it might be from Scotland. I’ve found it in NZ too, where a lot of the migrants were Scottish. Lynne

A: 'Wiggle room" is American slang recorded from 1941 with the obvious meaning of "room to move." This variation "wriggle room" arose, I suggest, because of the alliteration it gives us -- the repeated 'R' sound at the beginning of both 'wriggle' and 'room.' English just seems to like alliterative expressions. 

Q:  We are being constantly advised to avoid Islamophobia which puzzles me somewhat. A phobia is defined in the Collins Dictionary as 'An abnormal intense and irrational fear of a given situation, organism, or object.'. Yet, Islamophobia is defined as 'Hatred or fear of Muslims or of their politics or culture'. I am personally not aware of such sentiments being a general issue in Australia. Is this shift in meaning owing to political expediency to try to downplay the overt and continuing anti-Semitism much of which is clearly coming from 'radical' Islamists? David

A:  Yes, it's a badly constructed word. As is "homophobia" which is used to mean disapproval of homosexuality. That word arose because the gay community claimed that anyone who disapproved of them must be afraid of them. A silly presumption produced a badly constructed word which has proliferated into a bunch of similar words.  

Q:  I see the word "shuttered" a lot now. Why is this word used and noted "closed" or "shut down"? Vicki

A: There are fads and fashions in language as in everything else -- and this is just the current fad, the current fashion. There is no more profound explanation I'm afraid.

Q: Pat asks for the origin of the Australian expression 'pub test' (which, she says, the expenses scandal doesn't pass!)

A:  Coined by John Howard in, I believe, the 1990s -- it means 'doesn't pass the commonsense test.'  

Q: Carol asks why we put a wreath on our front door at Christmas, since the common association of a wreath is with funerals?

A: The word 'wreath' is ancient (from the days of Old English) and just means any arrangement of flowers twisted and turned together (it's related to the familiar word 'writhe'). There was no special association with funerals until the late 1700s -- so wreaths are not especially funereally (which makes them okay for Christmas). 

Q: Rosalind suggests that rather than all the words chosen by the dictionaries, the Word of the Year should have been 'momentum' -- which, she says, is a favourite word of the Albanese government, usually indicating they standing still and doing nothing (Jim Chalmers, she writes, seems to be especially fond of "momentum" and we know what the Australian economy is doing!)

A: Well, observed Rosalind -- I like your word.

Q: Ian asks: "What was the origin of the phrase ‘bite the bullet’?"  

A: It started with battlefield surgery before the inventi0on of anaesthetics. In those dark days the one skill a surgeon needed was to be very fast--for instance, to amputate the damaged leg before the patient died from shock. Unanaesthetised patients were given spirits to drink and then told to bite on something hard--such as a bullet. Hence 'bite the bullet' is a call to be stoical about something.

Q: John writes: ' what is the misanthropic principle, and how does it relate to the anthropic principle, which I understand concerns fine tuning, or the appearance of, in our universe? 

A: The 'anthropic principle' says that the observable properties of the universe, and particularly certain of the fundamental constants, seem to be designed to support intelligent life. In other words, we are here because this universe was designed to support us. However, the misanthropic principle is totally different. This is the view that the impact the human race has had on the environment of planet earth is entirely destructive and negative. 

Q: Bruce writes: 'With the gender folk today demanding no male titles for women – batter for a female cricketer -- it started me thinking about academic grades. I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree – both names being masculine.  Should they be changed to "Spinster" and "Mistress"?'

A: It just points up the stupidity of being mistaken about what counts as 'gendered' language and what doesn't!

Q: Roger writes: 'As a long-time reader of your column and an ex-teacher of some 37 years duration can I say one of the reasons handwriting is now so poor these days is because (in my opinion!) kids are not taught how to hold a pen. When I went to school in 1946 and in the years after here in New Zealand we were taught to hold the pen or pencil between the thumb and index finger and resting on the hand between the two. The pen rested on the second finger and the arm on the desk rested on the large muscle under the forearm. This gave –in my opinion a good degree of control over the pen.'

A: All perfectly correct! These days I see youngsters holding pens in their fists not their fingers! 

Q: Stuart wants to know the correct pronunciation of 'divisive'?

A: The only correct pronunciation is duh-VIGH-siv. The alternative, duh-VIZ-iv, is always wrong.

Q: Malcom wants to know about the origin of the expression "It's like the curate's egg -- good in parts". 

A: It comes from a very old cartoon from Punch (early 20th century) in which a curate is having breakfast with his bishop, who asks 'How is your egg?' and since the curate has been stuck with an egg that has gone off, but doesn't want to offend his bishop, he replies, 'It's good in parts, my lord.' Of course, a rotten egg is rotten all the way through, so the phrase "curate's egg" really means 'bad all the way through' (although it has mistakenly been used to mean 'all right in bits' which it doesn't really mean). 

Q: Nathan writes: ' we often refer to something not working properly as being on the blink. Where did this term come from?'

A: 'On the blink' is American slang recorded from 1901. It originally referred to something that was in verge of break down completely. It was 'on the blink' in the sense that (metaphorically) its eyes were slowly closing. 

Q: Andrew writes to ask why Europe was once referred to as 'the Continent'? And is it true that Australians once called England 'home' even though they had been born here?

A: Europe was called the 'Continent from around 1600. It was done to emphasise Britain's advantage as an island nation with no shared land borders. I am told that this usage no longer exists. And, yes, Australians of an earlier generation did refer to Britain as 'home' (my own grandmother did) because until the Australian Citizenship; Act of 1948 the legal status of Australians was 'British subject.' Banjo Paterson, for example, always thought of himself as British.

Q: A Christmas question -- Frances wants to know why Christmas crackers are called 'bon bons' in Australia?

A: Christmas crackers were invented (under that name) by an English pastry cook named Tom Smith in 1846. He developed the idea from the practice of giving sweets in twists of coloured paper. And those sweets were (originally) called 'bon-bons.'  That name came directly from the French word for 'good' -- so a 'bon-bon' was something that was 'good-good' or in nursery language a 'goody.' So, it appears that 'Christmas cracker' and 'bon-bon' were interchangeable labels for these treats from the beginning.

Q: Sue wants to know the origin of the expression 'it gets my goat'.

A: It means to annoy or irritate someone and is recorded in America from around 1900. Although we can't be certain, it seems that it most likely comes from a time when it was common to put an animal (usually a goat) in the stall with a highly strung racehorse to keep the horse calm. In order to the noble the horse, a race fixer would steal the goat from the horse's stall. Supporting this theory is the earliest form of the expression, which was 'to get my nanny goat.' 

Q: Andrew wants to know where 'lickety-split' comes from.

A: Lickety-split is recorded from 1818 meaning 'very fast' or 'at full speed.' At about that time 'Lickety' started to be used to form adverbs -- always with the sense of 'rapidly.' As well as 'lickerty-spit' it was used in other formations (most of which have since died out) such as  lickety cut, lickety-smash, and lickety-wallop. It seems to have arisen from nothing more remarkable than the assumption that the action of licking is one that is usually rapid.  'Split' seems to have been added from the notion that the verb 'to split' meant the same thing as 'to cut' and this was seen as a rapid action. So, put two words together that both mean a rapid action, and it implies a VERY rapid action!

Q: Paul asks: 'Did Al Gore coin the expression "an inconvenient truth' or was it around before his time? And is there such a thing as a "convenient truth'? 

A:  "An Inconvenient Truth" appears to be a coinage by Al Gore for the title of his 2006 documentary.  Since then, "An Inconvenient Truth" has taken on a life of its own as a catch-all phrase for something obvious the people don't want to confront.  Unfortunately for Al Gore many of the claims he made in that movie have turned out to be works of complete fiction, and not the truth at all.  The catastrophic rises in ocean levels that he so confidently predicted have not happened. It appears that facts trump inconvenience all the time! And no, there is no common expression along the lines of a 'convenient truth.' 

Q: Jeremy writes: ' could you explain where the term "dark horse" came from?'

A: The word 'light' means (among other things) 'revelation' or 'knowledge.' When someone understands something, we say, 'the light went on' or 'he's seen the light.'  'Dark' means the opposite -- 'hidden' or 'concealed' as in 'he was keeping his plans dark' or 'we are being kept in the dark about this.' It was this meaning that was borrowed by horse racing. From 1821 it was used to describe a competitor about which nothing was known. A horse whose potential was unknown was called a 'dark horse.' Then ten years later in 1831 Benjamin Disraeli used the expression 'dark hose' in his novel The Young Duke and made the expression widely known and popular. By 1833 'dark horse' was being used metaphorically in US politics to mean a person not named as a candidate before a convention, who unexpectedly received the nomination.

Q: Barry writes to ask about the word 'populism' -- shouldn't it (he asks) mean exactly the same as 'democracy'?

A: Yes, Barry -- and in fact that this exactly what it does mean. Some are using 'populism' as a sneer word, without making it clear why they despise it.  If a leader (or a policy) is popular (that is, has the support of the majority of the populace, or 'demos') then it is populist, and that is how democracy is meant to work.  It seems to me that the sneering use of 'populism' as a complaint happens only when a person or a policy they disapprove of is endorsed democratically. The only honest use of 'populist' is as a synonym for 'democracy'. Either use it that way, or don't use it at all!

Q: Kristine asks about the expression 'doli incapax' being used in Victoria in debates about the age of legal responsivity.

A:  It is Latin (literally 'incapable of trickery') and is legal Latin to say a person is incapable of criminal deception (or activity). Commonly used of children or the mentally incapacitated. 

Q: Joe asks for the origin of 'humble pie' -- does it come from eating deer? Or from the notion of being humble?

A: Both of those played a role. Originally it was 'umble pie' -- a pie made from the 'umbles' of inner organs, the offal, of the deer. While nobility ate roast venison, their servants had 'umble pie.' This goes back to the 1600s. By the mid 1800s the expression became 'humble pie' (perhaps as a play on words, or perhaps the original meaning of 'umbles' had been forgotten). And so, from the 1830s onwards 'eating humble pie' was being very submissive. 

Q: Jack wants to know what we men when we say 'I'm stoked' -- and where it comes from?

A: It starts with the name of a job -- the 'stoker' (a Dutch word originally) the man who feeds the furnace. Once borrowed into English we formed the verb 'to stoke' as a back formation from this noun. The figurative use of 'stoked' (meaning 'enthusiastic' or 'excited') comes from the notion that the person who says 'I'm stoked' is imagining themself as the furnace, not as the stoker -- as the one who is full of fuel and hot to trot. This seems to come from late in the 20th century. Earlier, being 'stoked' was used to mean 'well fed' -- but that now seems to have faded out of use. 

Q: Pamela wants to know about two expressions 'hat trick' and 'cook up a storm.'

A: (1) 'Hat trick' -- The term first appeared in 1858 H. H. Stevenson taking three wickets with three consecutive deliveries. Fans held a collection for Stephenson and presented him with a hat bought with the proceeds. The hat they gave him was a Fez. Of course, it should have been a bowler!  (2) 'Cook up a storm' is using the verb 'to cool' to mean 'to cause to happen / to stir up.' 'Cook up a storm' is American. It was used from 1924 to mean a literal storm, and from 1959 as a figurative expression for anything that stirs up great activity.