Whatzat mean? Word origins.
 

Okay, I'll start.

goober

To me it means: I care deeply for you, if you are a fur baby I love and adore you, it is a term of endearment, and I use it very sparingly. I find you cute and adorable, and if you are close I will squeeze, hug, kiss you and mess up your hair a little, and yes I will fix it back for you.

Here's what the dictionary says:

goober (n.)
"peanut," 1833, American English, of African origin, perhaps Bantu (cf. Kikongo and Kimbundu nguba "peanut").


:blink: who knew?

groovy (adj.)
1853 in literal sense of "pertaining to a groove," from groove (n.) + -y (2). Slang sense of "first-rate, excellent" is 1937, American English, from jazz slang phrase in the groove (1932) "performing well (without grandstanding.)" As teen slang for "wonderful," it dates from 1944; popularized 1960s, out of currency by 1980. Related: Grooviness.

December (n.)
c.1000, from Old French decembre, from Latin December, from decem "ten" (see ten); tenth month of the old Roman calendar, which began with March.

The -ber in four Latin month names is probably from -bris, an adjectival suffix. Tucker thinks that the first five months were named for their positions in the agricultural cycle, and "after the gathering in of the crops, the months were merely numbered."
If the word contains an element related to mensis, we must assume a *decemo-membris (from *-mensris). October must then be by analogy from a false division Sep-tem-ber &c. Perhaps, however, from *de-cem(o)-mr-is, i.e. "forming the tenth part or division," from *mer- ..., while October = *octuo-mr-is. [T.G. Tucker, "Etymological Dictionary of Latin"]

Ah, Jazz, REAL AMERICAN music!! All the way back to 1932? Thanks Macele!!

I love learning. :glasses:

Thanks Sweet Bliss for beginning this thread. It sounds like it could be fun learning new things! I looked up Dregs. I always believed it meant undesireables like the phrase "dregs of society". I recently used those particular words in a paper for school to point out the societal view of addicts in their addictions. The site you provided had this to say:

dregs (n.)
c.1300 (implied in surname Dryngedregges), from Old Norse dregg "sediment," from Proto-Germanic *drag- (cf. Old High German trestir, German Trester "grapeskins, husks"), from PIE *dher- (1) "to make muddy." Replaced Old English cognate dræst, dærst "dregs, lees." Figurative use is from 1530s.

'Sediment' or 'to make muddy' would probably be what led to that phrase being used. Another way of saying scum of the Earth.

That's amazing!
 

Thanks for sharing this info with us PaPa!! I would have never guessed. What an interesting story behind the word. I would think there are lots of "regular" words we have no idea about pertaining to mental health and class issues.

Wow. Brings to mind the class system in India, and the work of Mother Teresa.

those of us from the south who grew up eating goobers knew its a great thing chocolate covered peanuts

YUMMY !!! :chocolate: Wonder if Peanut M&M's stole that idea??? Hummm.

So, if I call someone a goober, does that mean they are good enough to eat??:blush:

Years ago I called my baby brother Pipsqueak, my mother got angry, told me to look it up.

I did. It meant insignificant person. I loved and adored my baby brother, so I stopped calling him the icky word.

Today I find out, pipsqueak means much more.

http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/pipsqueakwilfred.htm

It's also related to WWI medals awarded in England. And cartoon characters.

I thought it meant cute, little and adorable. I stand by my first assumption.


Love you Pipsqueak!! :rrose:

For Logos Lovers
 

http://verbivore.com/wordpress/

Fadspeak: the unrelenting mix of mimicry and gimmickry. Fadspeak comprises vogue phrases that suddenly appear on everybody’s tongues — phrases that launch a thousand lips. Before you can say, “yada yada yada,” these throwaway expressions become instant clichés, perfect for our throwaway society, like paper wedding dresses for throwaway marriages. Fadspeak clichés lead mayfly lives, counting their duration in months instead of decades. They strut and fret their hour upon the stage of pop culture and then are heard no more.

This website is wonderful, funny and spot on.

kiwi talk...
 

Sweet Bliss, are we allowed to use phrases or just single words? IF we can use phrases....

rule of thumb

Origin 1782:The 'rule of thumb' has been said to derive from the belief that English law allowed a man to beat his wife with a stick so long as it is was no thicker than his thumb.

The first and original use of the saying is as simple as the words. The thumb was used as a readily available tool of measuring.

It has now been used as a term of commonplace knowledge in a field.

Fuckery:

Derived from the word 'fuck', Fuckery is something that is absolute bullshit or utter nonsense.

That which is fucked up.

Does anyone know for sure if the origin of "Fuckery" is Jamaican? From what I could find it appears so at least:glasses:

Sure!! It will add to the fun!

Go Dutch/Dutch Treat

The expression "Go Dutch" has its origin around 1652-1784, during the English-Dutch wars. Around that period, the English commonly used the word Dutch in a number of expressions to convey a negative feeling. The British considered the Dutch to be stingy and miserly and used the phrases involving the Dutch to imply derogatory remarks.

Go Dutch is generally used when two people out on a date share the expenses incurred.

Barking up the wrong tree............
 

origin:The origin of barking up the wrong tree dates back to early 1800s America, when hunting with packs of dogs was very popular. The term was used literally at first, when wily prey animals such as raccoons would trick dogs into believing they were up a certain tree when in fact they had escaped.


to be pursuing a mistaken or misguided line of thought or course of action.

Omg I'm so happy for this thread!

Word origins have long fascinated me. There was a time when I considered becoming a linguistic anthropologist.

There was a show on cable about the origins of slang. Its interesting to see where our every day lexicon derives from. I was VERY surprised at the origination of y'all.

I will be back to read and post!!

Blessing In Disguise

origin of 'a blessing in disguise' is believed to be mid-1700s, however scholars have yet to pin down the first usage of the term. The earliest instance of the term found in print was a 1746 work by English writer James Hervey titled Reflections on a Flower-Garden.

A misfortune that unexpectedly turns into good fortune.

Beat Around the Bush

Origin: This phrase is believed to have come from hunting. Back in medieval times, hunters would hire men who would assist them in the hunt by flushing out animals from within the brush. This could be done by whacking the bushes with a stick, perhaps even accompanying the whacking with some loud shouting; the point was to make a bunch of noise in order to scare birds and other animals out from the cover of the bushes, making them easier targets for the hunter.

Typically used to describe any person who is avoiding the main point in a conversation!

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

origin: 'don’t judge a book by its cover' is fairly recent. The phrase is attributed to a 1944 edition of the African journal American Speech: “You can’t judge a book by its binding.” It was popularized even more when it appeared in the 1946 murder mystery Murder in the Glass Room by Lester Fuller and Edwin Rolfe: “You can never tell a book by its cover.”


Means you should not decide upon something based just on outward appearances.

Bless Her/His/Your Heart

As a youth I would hear this phased used in a good intention sort of way. Ex: "She has cancer,and still gets up every morning and takes the paper to her friend down the street, bless her heart"

As I grew older I learned it was also used in a derogatory way: Ex: "Bless his heart, he's dumb as a stick, but he sure is nice"

I couldn't find the definition in the link provided so I looked else where. Cambridge Dictionary states it means "may good things happen to someone"

I couldn't find the actual origin..though, I do know it is used down south and the midwest more often than other areas *shrugs* does anyone know the true origin?

The Ball is in Your Court

origin: While it is obvious the idiom comes from the world of sports, Scholars differ on whether it comes from the Tennis field or from Basketball. Whichever sports field it comes from, it is a relatively new idiom and was probably used for the first time in the 20th century.

If the ball is in someone's court, they have to do something before any progress can be made in a situation.

Unbeknownst
 

Smitten
 

origin: Smitten is related to the verb smite, which comes from the Old English smitan, meaning “to hit, strike, beat.” What do hitting and beating have to do with love, you may ask? Well, when some people fall in love they report feeling as though they've been "struck by lightning." Obviously those people have never actually been struck by lightning!

Overwhelmed or struck by something, usually love:nerd:

Ossified...................
 

The root is ossify, "to turn into bone," from the Latin word for "bone,".

ossified...........Too intoxicated to function properly (urban dictionary)

It can mean set in a rigidly conventional pattern of behavior, habits, or beliefs.

To convert into or cause to harden like bone.

Brene' Brown uses that expression in one of her talks about vulnerability. She shares that in Texas, where she grew up, it was used to shame people, she jokes about having a tee shirt that says "if you bless my heart, I will kick your ass." or something to that effect. I have only heard it used by people who feel superior to others, as a way of saying "isn't he/she pathetic". I will have to research the original meaning.

Great topic, thanks!!

I think smitten is such a non-threatening way of telling someone you like them in a 'special way" without making them or yourself uncomfortable...

Kashrut

Is a set of Jewish religious dietary laws.

i love the word “smitten” ....... :blush:

lethologica I just "borrowed" this word from another thread.....LOL



The inability to remember a particular word or name.

yup ..... thats a word i love, but can never remember :giggle:

Thanks for letting me "borrow" it......LOL

sally forth............To leave a place and move on

Jactitation.............a tossing to and fro or jerking and twitching of the body during an illness.


In the 17th century, lawyers began tossing around the word jactitation, which can be traced back to the Latin verb jactare, meaning "to throw." Originally, jactitation was used as a word for a false claim or assertion being publicly thrown about to the detriment of another person. Run-of-the-mill slander and false claims of being married to someone were two common types of jactitation brought to court. Before long, jactitation had jumped over to the medical profession, where it continues to serve as a word for restless, jerky, or twitchy body movements. In 1761, British writer Laurence Sterne threw jactitation into his novel Tristram Shandy as a substitute for discussion, but that meaning never caught on.

Gentrification............


Gentrification is a process of renovation of deteriorated urban neighborhoods by means of the influx of more affluent residents. This is a controversial topic in politics and in urban planning.

Ethnogenesis.....

The process by which a social group comes to regard itself or be regarded as a distinct people.This can originate through a process of self-identification as well as come about as the result of outside identification.
Ethnogenesis can occur passively, in the accumulation of markers of group identity forged through interaction with the physical environment, cultural and religious divisions between sections of a society, migrations and other processes, for which ethnic subdivision is an unintended outcome. It can occur actively, as persons deliberately and directly 'engineer' separate identities to attempt to solve a political problem. It's of Greek origin.