World Wide Words newsletterThe World Wide Words newsletter discusses word histories, new words, the background to words in the news and problems of English usage. Some items are added to the Web site seven days after they appear here.593-1: Feedback, notes and comments- June 28, 2008 Soapbox My mistake of the week was to put the famous location of public oratory in London at Hyde Park Corner. Speakers’ Corner is indeed at one corner of Hyde Park, but at the north-eastern one by Marble Arch, not the south-eastern one. Ahoy! It seemed otiose to flesh out my incredulity at the story of Czech sailors transmitting this word to English by an exposition of the geography of central Europe. But a surprisingly large number of subscribers felt it necessary to point out that...http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/mwzr.htm#N1 593-2: Turns of Phrase: Transition Town- June 28, 2008 The recent huge hike in oil prices has made people in developed countries think more deeply about ways to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. One scheme for doing so that has been getting more attention in recent months is the transition-town initiative. The principle is that people in developed nations are going to have to learn to live with less energy and that it’s better to plan for that in advance rather than suffer the pains of sudden deprivation. The idea is to create...http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/mwzr.htm#N2 593-6: Sic!- June 28, 2008 • Andrew Palmer wonders if the proposed British rail lines mentioned in a BBC News report on 21 June will run east to east or west to west. He asks because its opening is: “Five new high-speed main lines crossing the width and breadth of the UK may be built as part of a review of the rail network, Network Rail says.” A graphic alongside the story shows that most will actually go north to south (or possibly south to north). • Hunter Bowen told me about a report in The...http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/mwzr.htm#N6 593-3: Weird Words: Singultient- June 28, 2008 Crying or sobbing. When next you see some thespianic practitioner accepting an Oscar with protestations of love and admiration for everyone she has ever worked with while flooding the lectern with tears of pleasure, you may describe her as singultient, among other possible adjectives. It would indeed be the mot juste, since its Latin origin lies in singultus, which can mean a speech broken by sobs. It could also refer to somebody having a fit of the hiccups, a state that can sound somewhat...http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/mwzr.htm#N3 593-5: Questions and Answers: Flat- June 28, 2008 Q From M D Dunderdale: “Can you tell me why in British English we call an apartment a flat” A The smart answer might be that a flat, like an apartment, is a set of rooms that’s usually on one floor of a building, so it’s all on a level and so flat. A link does exist between the two senses of the word, though it’s far from the whole story (or even storey). The original was flet, an ancient Germanic word traceable to the same source as flat, in the sense of...http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/mwzr.htm#N5 593-4: Recently noted- June 28, 2008 Funt It sounds like a swear word and in a way it is. It’s a shortened version of Financially UNTouchable, meaning people whose credit histories are so poor that they’re unable to get access to credit. It’s a rare example of a neologism that has achieved parliamentary notice, since the British MP Stephen Ladyman raised the plight of funts in an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on 18 June. He said afterwards, “Funts who do their best to repay what they owe and...http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/mwzr.htm#N4 593-7: Copyright and contact details- June 28, 2008 World Wide Words is copyright © Michael Quinion 2008. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this newsletter in whole or part in free online newsletters, newsgroups or mailing lists provided that you include this note and the copyright notice above. Reproduction in printed publications or on Web sites or blogs requires prior permission, for which you should contact the editor. Comments on anything in this newsletter are more than welcome. To send them in, please visit the feedback page...http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/mwzr.htm#N7 |