Find three words new to you or rarely used by you, discover their origin, and use them in a sentence collectively. Be creative and have fun with it. Bet you'll remember these three words for times to come. :)
Emblem: approximately 1589, originated in Middle English meaning embossed ornament, literally, insertion (genitive 'emblematos'), from 'emballein': to throw in, to insert ('em-': in + 'ballein': to throw). Today's meaning: a visible object symbolizing an abstract idea.
Remiss: Approximately 1450; from Middle English; from Latin, 'remissus,' past participle of 'remittere': to slacken. Today's meaning: lax in attending to duty.
Bantam: Approximately 1749; after 'Bantam,' the town in Indonesia from where the small fowl were supposed to have been first imported. Today: noun-small barnyard animal; adjective--small, and can mean spirited and aggressive or overconfident.
With a bantam grin painting her face, the hen stormed about the coop, sure the other chicks had been remiss of their duties, too busy playing craps with the emblems of their aprons.
broad bean: 1. a plant, Vica faba, native to the old world, cultivated for its edible pods and seeds. 2. The somewhat flattened seed of this plant. Also called “fava bean,” “horse bean.”
Emblem: approximately 1589, originated in Middle English meaning embossed ornament, literally, insertion (genitive 'emblematos'), from 'emballein': to throw in, to insert ('em-': in + 'ballein': to throw). Today's meaning: a visible object symbolizing an abstract idea.
ReplyDeleteRemiss: Approximately 1450; from Middle English; from Latin, 'remissus,' past participle of 'remittere': to slacken. Today's meaning: lax in attending to duty.
Bantam: Approximately 1749; after 'Bantam,' the town in Indonesia from where the small fowl were supposed to have been first imported. Today: noun-small barnyard animal; adjective--small, and can mean spirited and aggressive or overconfident.
With a bantam grin painting her face, the hen stormed about the coop, sure the other chicks had been remiss of their duties, too busy playing craps with the emblems of their aprons.
broad bean: 1. a plant, Vica faba, native to the old world, cultivated for its edible pods and seeds. 2. The somewhat flattened seed of this plant. Also called “fava bean,” “horse bean.”
ReplyDeleteFlapdoodle: (slang) Foolish talk; balderdash; nonsense. [origin obscure]
Paisa: 1. a coin equal to 1/100 of the rupee in India or Pakistan [in 1969*]. Aslo called “naya paisa.”
The old man gave the peddler a look and said, “Look here, mister, if you don’t quit yer flapdoodlin’ I ain’t giving you a paisa for them broad beans.”
*my desk dictionary is old – but big :)