Your comments and questions:

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Q: James asks: 'Hi Kel, where did the phrase " to throw the baby out with the bath water " come from? Thanks.'

A: This appears in English only around 1840. But that was just the year it was first translated into English. It comes from an old German proverb dating back to at least 1512. That year it appeared in a book of German proverbs entitled Appeal to Fools. It has always meant was it still means today -- throwing out the essentials with the inessentials. 

Q:  John asks: 'Where does the phrase “Over the Moon” come originate?'

A:  The origin must be the nursery rhyme Hey, Diddle Diddle in which the cow jumped over the moon. We know that’s right because earlier writers used a fuller version. For example, “Ready to jump over the moon for delight” appeared in Thomas Chandler Haliburton’s The Clockmaker in 1840. 

Q: John writes: 'Now for a curly one, what about the word Islam? It seems a strange word.'

A: 'Islam' is an Arabic word meaning 'submission.' It seems to have come into English via Turkish around 1603. The word 'Muslim' comes from the same Arabic source word and means 'one who submits.' Classical Islam divides the world into two spheres -- the house of Islam and the House of War: meaning all those who submit and all those who don't and who need to be conquered into submission.

Q: Garry writes: ' Just heard an American Reporter say, "on the Fritz". My reloes in South Australia called processed meat Fritz and we say the machine is on the Fritz. Where did it come from?'

A: The earliest slang meaning for 'fritz' was a German soldier (recorded from 1883 and used in both World Wars). Here is Australia the meat called 'fritz' was so called because its original name was German sausage. It had lots of other names around Australia, some of them inexplicable -- such as: devon, polony, Strasburg, wheel meat, luncheon sausage and a dozen others. I list them all in my book about Australian regionalisms called Word Map. As for 'fritz' meaning broken--this appears to be American in origin recorded from 1908 when 'to fritz out' meant to go bung. Even the great slang lexicographer Jonathan Green can't explain why. My suggestion is that this first appeared at the beginning of the electrical age--with the earliest electric light bulbs for instance--and 'fritz' resembled the fizzing noise that anything electrical makes when it dies and goes out. 

Q: Eleanor writes: 'People talk of a ‘quality education’ no doubt intending it to mean a ‘good quality education’ but omitting the descriptive adjective. This means that the word ‘quality’, a noun, has morphed into an adjective meaning ‘good’ or ‘high’. Is this reflected in current dictionaries?'

A: Since the 1600s 'quality' (on its own, without qualification) has meant 'excellence of character; good nature, virtue.' Since the 1880s it has meant 'positive characteristics; general excellence.' Its most primitive meaning was 'the essential nature of something' -- from which these uses come. So, it only needs an adjective when turned into a negative -- e.g. 'poor quality.'  

Q: Belinda asks: ' Can you explain the correct pronunciation of “distribute“? Some say duh-STRIB-yoot  and I say DISS-truh-byoot. What is correct?'

A: The Oxford (the last word on these matters) says both are acceptable. It says that both the verb and the adjective can be pronounced as either duh-STRIB-yoot  or DISS-truh-byoot. There are some older grammars that claim one of those pronunciations should be used for the verb and one for the adjective. They are wrong. Either will do. 

Q: Beth writes: 'My husband and I were wondering where the term Flea Market originated and its meaning please?"

A: It's been a jocular name for a street market since 1922. And why?  Because there are so many second-hand articles sold of all kinds that they are believed to gather fleas. 

Q: Debra writes:  "I had cause to use the phrase ' to vent your spleen' the other day and I thought of you. How on earth did this come about?"

A: The spleen is an organ near your stomach that controls the quality of your blood. In the days before modern medicine, when the body was thought to be controlled by the four 'humours' -- one of those humours was the blood, and the spleen was assumed to be the source of certain emotions. In particular, anger. From this belief comes the notion of venting, or letting out, you anger.  The origin of the idiom to vent your spleen seems to date back to Hippocrates in 400 BC.  

Under the strict rules of ancient Greek medicine, the spleen was actually the home of Black Bile, the fluid responsible for melancholy (sadness and deep thought). It was the gallbladder that supposedly produced Yellow Bile (choler), the true source of a fiery temper.   Over centuries, the boundaries between these “bad fluids” blurred in the public imagination. The spleen eventually became a catch-all organ for any “foul mood” or sudden outburst.

Q: Peter asks: "Why is the name of the Australia Labor Party spelt differently to the British Labour Party? Why has the "u" been removed from the title in Australia?"

A:  The word comes from Classical Latin where it is spelled with an 'O' -- but it came into English through Middle French where it was spelled 'OU'. From the 1400s to the 1700s both spellings were used in English. In 1725 Dr Johnson's authoritative dictionary settled the spelling as 'OU'. When Noah Webster published his American dictionary in 1828, he settled on the 'O' spelling as the modern and American way to spell 'labor.'  Early federal Labor was enticed by the idea of a modern spelling, of breaking with British tradition. And King O'Malley may have played a role in this -- he was a very influential early Labor Party chap in parliament in Australia, and he was American by birth 

Q: Martin writes to ask if there is a difference between 'especial' and 'special'?

A: There once was, but that difference is fading in modern usage. Traditionally 'especial' meant 'exceptional' and 'special' meant 'specific' -- as in a 'special purpose' or a 'special relationship.' However, this seems to be disappearing, and both words are now being used to mean 'exceptional' -- 'special' more frequently and in informal or conversational English; 'especial' less frequently' and in more formal English. 'Special' is one of the 500 most common words in English, while 'especial' is only used around once in every million words.  

Q: Steven says he understands the meaning of 'not on your nelly' but wants to know where it came from.

A: In this form it is only found from 1959, but in its earlier form of 'not on your Nely Duff' it's recorded from 1941 (probably as Airforce slang).  As such it was rhyming slang -- 'not on your Nelly Duff" = 'not on your puff" where 'puff' is used to mean the breath of life. The experts tell me that 'Nelly Duff' was a fictional character created purely for the purposes of constructing rhyming slang!

Q: Jim writes: 'Can you please explain why "butchered" means destroyed while a butcher is highly skilled and precise in their cutting?'

A: That's because, Jim, the term 'butchered' doesn't refer to the skilled trade of the butcher and what he does -- it refers to the carcase he works on. Those lamb chops on you plate looks nothing like the little animal that frisked around the paddock. So, however useful the craft of the butcher, it is the lamb that has been 'butchered.' 

Q: Suzie wants to know the origin of the phrase 'in your neck of the woods.'

A: When this phrase first appeared (back in the 1630s) 'neck' was used in the sense of 'narrow' and referred to any narrow stretch of woodland (or pasture or neighbourhood). But this gradually changed over time, and by the mid 1800s the concept of 'narrow' had been forgotten and 'your neck of the woods' just referred a specific locality. 

Q: Albert asks for the origin of 'bitter end.'

A:    The bitt end (or bitter end) refers to the final part of the anchor rope near to where the rope is fixed to the ship's deck. Usually marked with coloured rags, the bitter end gets its name from the bollards (or bitts) on the deck to which the anchor rope was tied. When the sailors lowering the anchor came across the rags on the bitter end, they knew there was no more rope left.

Q: Sue asks for the origin of the expression 'frog marched.'

A: The Oxford says this means: 'To hustle forwards (a reluctant or resisting person), typically by seizing the collar or pinning the arms behind the back. ' It is also used in an extended way metaphorically to mean anyone who compelled against their will to do something. The phrase comes from the resemblance of the prisoner to a frog crawling on its belly. 

On the 'disinterested' versus 'uninterested' question -- thanks to all those who replied. Most of you agreed that all literate people still think of 'disinterested' as meaning 'impartial' and to use it any other way is to sound semi-literate. But one reader made the very sensible comment that perhaps it is now best to avoid both 'disinterested' and 'uninterested' altogether, as words that are now so unclear as to be unhelpful. Good advice!

Q:  Chris writes: 'politicians seem not to understand the difference between “under” and “over”; which inevitably leads to an inversion of the meaning actually intended by the speaker. For example, the Tasmanian State Premier was recently quoted as saying “We cannot underestimate the importance of tourism for our economy…” I guess you could say that we can never overestimate the capacity of a politician to underwhelm us with important-sounding platitudes. '

A: It's not just happening in Australia but around the English speaking world. It is parallel to the absurd claim that it would be cheap at half the price. Eh? What they means is 'it would be cheap at twice the price.' These people just refuse to listen to the logic of what they are saying. All spoken errors come from either a lazy mouth or a lazy mind -- this stupidity comes from having a VERY lazy mind. 

Q: John ass for "the meaning and origin please of the phrase " to have your cake and eat it "?

A:  The usual way in which one sees this one is as the negative you can’t have your cake and eat it, expressing the idea that you have to make an either/or choice, that you can’t reconcile two mutually incompatible situations.  In other words, you can't have you cake sitting on the table in front of you AND have eaten it as well.  It is first written down in John Heywood’s A Dialogue Conteynyng Prouerbes and Epigrammes of 1562: “Wolde ye bothe eate your cake, and haue your cake?”. John Keats quoted it as eat your cake and have it at the beginning of his poem On Fame in 1816; Franklin D Roosevelt borrowed it in that form for his State of the Union Address in 1940.  

Q: Richard asks: 'Can you dissect out radical Islam from Islam?"

A:  Yes, I have done that on air. Islam is two things not one thing: (1) a religion, and (2) a political ideology. Radical Islam is the political ideology (which demands that the "House of Islam" conquer and take over the "House of War'... that's the rest of us!).  

Q: John asks: 'where did the term "to wag school" come from?'

A: 'Wag' (used in this way) started out as a term of endearment used for a mischievous boy. This goes as far back as the mid 1500s.  It seems to be a shortened form of an earlier expression 'waghalter' meaning someone who would end up hanging from the gallows (swinging or wagging the rope or halter). Which is a rather nasty thought. But the experts say its application to a child was always meant in a playful way. And from this 'playing truant' came to be called 'playing the wag' and (hence) 'wagging school.' 

Q: Gordon writes about the word 'discombobulate'. He says: "I’ve never been bobulated nor combobulated, so why should I ever be discombobulated? Do we really need this ugly word?"

A: The word was coined (in America) around 1825 -- as what the Oxford calls a 'jocular' formation. It is a jokey play on other words such as 'discompose' and 'discomfort'. It was coined around the time similar jokey words such as 'thingamabob' were appearing, so perhaps it was part of a trend. And, yes, I think it is useful for that moment when something has really thrown us off our game!

Q: Ray wants to know why a dollar is called a "buck"?

A: It comes from the 1700s, from the American frontier, when deer hides, or "buckskins" were used in trading. So much so, that in a frontier economy based largely on bartering, buckskins became a form of currency.  When the United States adopted the dollar in 1792, "buck" stuck around. The term was already familiar and carried over to paper money. It's now used around the world because of the global cultural dominance of the US.  

Q:  Peter writes: "Yesterday I was playing Scrabble with my wife and wanted to use the word 'abo'. I doubted the official Scrabble dictionary would allow it, but I checked anyway. And blow me down, it was allowed. So, I thought I'd check the word 'coon'. It is allowed for 2 contexts, the first as a contraction of raccoon. The second is as an eccentric or undignified rustic. We would never use the 'N' word so why are these allowed?'

A: The Oxford has a helpful usage note on the word 'abo' -- they say that when it was coined (around 1900) it was used as an abbreviation of 'Aboriginal' with no hostile intent, but that over years it has become associated with racial hostility and  is now an offensive word used and a term of abuse and as such should not be used. As for 'coon' being acceptable in certain contexts, the problem is that on a scabble board there is no context -- it's an isolated word. I think there needs to be a blanket ban on both words. 

Q: Martin asks: 'What is the correct saying “my old stomping ground or “my old stamping ground”?'

A:  Originally (1820s) it was 'stamping ground' ("an animal's habitual place of resort") -- but by the 1850s this had become 'stomping ground' and it has been 'stomping ground ever since. Words change!  

Q: Peter writes: "From time to time we hear someone who has been preferred described as a "shoe in " (S-H-O-E). I surmised the expression may have its origin in the habit of a salesman pressing a shoe in the door to gain advantage. In a Damon Runyan story, I came across the expression "shoo in" (S-H-O-O) being a horse racing term for a race fixed by the jockeys. What say you?"

A: The expression is 'shoo in' (S-H-O-O) -- there is no such phrase as 'shoe in' (S-H-O-E).  Footwear doesn’t come into it!  The 'shoo' word is an exclamation used to drive or frighten poultry or other animals. So, someone being driven straight into a position is a 'shoo in' for the job. The racing use of the term is just an extension of the idea of a certainty. ('Shoo' goes back to the 1400s, and the Oxford says it is 'an instinctive exclamation.')

Q: Malcolm asks: 'A couple this week Origin of "hair of the dog" for a hangover cure and we all know of touchpaper for fireworks, but what is the origin of "touchwood"?'

A:  'Hair of the dog' originally meant someone with a bad hangover having drink the next morning to make themselves feel better! It comes from homeopathy -- the belief that 'like cures like.' So, a little of what made you hungover will cure a hangover (at least that's the dubious theory.) 'Touchwood' comes from the ancient superstition that trees were inhabited by elvish beings (often called 'dryads') and touching the wood would give you their aid and assistance.  

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.