Words to Know from Idiomatic Sources/Expressions and Places Flashcards
bantam
“miniature, diminutive” - from Bantam, a village in west Java in Indonesia, where
this chicken is supposed to have originated.
bayonet
“a dagger-like weapon fitted onto the front of a rifle” - from French baionette, from
the French city of Bayonne, where the weapon was first made or used.
bungalow
“a one-story dwelling with a low-sloping roof and wide veranda” - from Hindustani
bengla, which means “belonging to Bengal, or Bengalese.”
bunk
“nonsense” - a clip from bunkum; also spelled buncombe, from Buncombe County,
North Carolina, whose congressman F. Walker, of the 16th Congress (1819-21), made tiresome
speeches, “for Buncombe.”
currant
“small, seedless raisin or acid berry” - originally raisins de Corauntz, through AngloFrench,
from French raisins de Corinths, which means “raisins of Corinth.”
dollar
“unit of currency” - from German taler, a clip of joachimstaler (or -thaler; the German
‘th’ is pronounced like ‘t’), a coin minted at Joachimsthal in Bohemia.
gypsy
(also British gipsy) “an independent or itinerant worker” - a shortened and altered form
of Egyptian, from a belief that gypsies originally came from Egypt.
magenta
“a purplish shade of red” - from the town of Magenta in northern Italy where the
French and Sardinians defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Magenta in 1859, the same year the
dye was discovered. Apparently the dye was given this name for no other reason.
milliner
“a seller of hats, most often a woman” - a variant of the now obsolete Milaner, a
dealer in goods from Milan (Italy), known for women’s finery in the 16th century.
peach
“a sweet, juicy fruit” - through French peche, from Latin persica, neuter plural of
persicum (malum), meaning “Persian (apple)”, from Greek persikos.
spaniel
“a medium-sized dog with long hair and large drooping ears” - from Old French
espagneul meaning “Spanish,” from Latin Hispania, cf. Old French espaignol “Spanish dog.”
spruce
“evergreen tree” - from Old French Pruce, from Prussia, an area of Germany famous
for this type of timber tree.
tarantula
“large, venomous spider” - from Italian tarantola, from the Italian city Taranto,
near which the spider lives. Its bite was supposed to cause tarantism, a disorder (associated with
Taranto) in which patients dance uncontrollably.
turquoise
e “blue, bluish-green, or greenish-gray” - from Middle English turkeis, from Middle
French turquoyse from (pierre) turqueise, meaning “Turkish stone.”
tuxedo
“formal evening wear for men” - from Tuxedo Park, New York, where the garment
was reputedly first worn.
sold down the river
originates from dealers sending slaves down the river
look a gift horse in the mouth
“being critical of something which one has given”, originates from the times when it was impolite to show concern about the age of an animal that was a present
crocodile tears
originates in the notion that the crocodile, once it devours its prey, cries over its victim
swan song
“last book or farewell speech”, originates from the belief that the swan, which is unable to sing, gave forth glorious melodies when it felt it was about to die
lick into shape
originates from the erroneous idea that when a bear cub was first born, it was merely a lump of flesh, and being licked by its mother gave it characteristic shape
curry favor
favor was once Fauvel (horse, a sign of deceit), “to gain a person’s friendship by flattery”
forlorn hope
“desperate venture that will likely fail”
originates from the way in which the Dutch military expression ‘verloren hoop’ sounded to English ears. The phrase meant a small group of soldiers who undertake a serious mission
flash in the pan
comes from military language-on the musket there is a small pan that contains gunpowder, which received spark from flint. Sometimes the gunpowder failed to fire and the failure of loading the weapon was a flash in the pan
red-letter day
originally a holy day in honor of some saint or a church festival, now means a “day memorable because of some personal experience”
