English Words with Unexpected Origins

1. Avocado

Meaning: a pear-shaped fruit with a rough leathery skin, smooth oily edible flesh, and a large stone

Origin: The word for avocado comes from the Aztec word, "ahuacatl," which means testicle. Aside from the similar shape, avocados also act as aphrodisiacs, foods that stimulate sex drive.

2. Clue

Meaning: a fact or idea that serves as a guide or aid in a task or problem

Origin: According to Greek mythology, when Theseus entered the Labyrinth to kill the minotaur (a half-man, half-bull), he unraveled a "clew" — a ball of string — behind him, so he could find his way back.

The word "clue" didn't even exist until the mid-1500s when people started to vary the spelling of "clew."

3. Assassin

Meaning: a person who murders an important person for political or religious reasons

Origin: Members of a fanatical Muslim sect during the Crusades used to smoke hashish and then murder leaders on the opposing side. They started going by the name "hashishiyyin," meaning hashish-users in Arabic which later evolved into 'assassin'.

4. Feisty

Meaning: not afraid to fight or argue, lively and aggressive

Origin: Late 19th century word from earlier feist or fist, a derogatory term for a lapdog, related to Middle English fist, meaning “to break wind”.

5. Whisky

Meaning: a spirit distilled from malted grain, especially barley or rye

Origin: Whisky is the shortened form of whiskybae, which comes from the Old English "usquebae," derived from two Gaelic words: uisce (water) and bethu (life). Thus, whisky literally means "water of life." Obvious really.

Sources: www.businessinsider.com and www.independent.co.uk

Weird and Wonderful Words from the Scrabble Championships

Nearly 10000 online viewers were glued to their computer screens last Saturday as the ultimate board-gaming event of the year came to its exciting climax when Paul Allan seized the title of British Scrabble Champion from his opponent Allan Simmons with the winning word ‘bandura’, a type of Ukrainian lute (86 points).

It’s a game that has caused many a family feud and sibling squabble and yet Scrabble remains a firm favourite in many households all over the world.

The game was originally invented in 1938 by out of work architect Alfred Mosher Butts during the Great Depression in America. Initially called ‘Criss-cross Words’, the game combined the vocabulary skills of crossword puzzles and anagrams, with an added element of chance. It is now available in 29 languages with around 150 million sets having been sold in 121 different countries.

For those of you who enjoy a good board game, Scrabble is the perfect way to put your English vocabulary to the test and learn some new (and slightly obscure) words along the way. Why not try out one of these lesser-known words of the English language that were played during the final of this year’s Championship:

Aecia: A fruiting body of a rust fungus

Atigi: A type of parka worn by the Inuit in Canada

Bandura: Ukrainian lute

Coniines: Alkaloid that makes up the poisonous part of hemlock

Enew: Falconry term for driving a bird into the water

Erev: The part of the day or the day immediately preceding the Jewish Sabbath or a Jewish holiday

Evet: The common newt

Jingo: A vociferous supporter of policy favouring war, especially in the name of patriotism

Khis: Plural of khi, the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet

Litu: Plural of Litas, a former silver coin and monetary unit of Lithuania

Ny: To approach

Qat: variant spelling of khat, an Arabian shrub whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant

Swarf: Fine chips or filings of stone, metal or other material produced by a machining operation

Ugh: Used to express disgust or horror

Vela: Plural of velum, a glass screen

Zeds: Name of the letter Z, plural

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/national-scrabble-championship-the-big-match-won-by-the-playing-of-a-ukrainian-lute-bandura-86-points-8919939.html

Word Overuse, Boredom Alert!

The English language is full of colour, range and diversity, with more and more words being added every day.

'The Second Edition of the 20-volume  Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use, and 47,156 obsolete words. To this may be added around 9,500 derivative words included as subentries.'1

Why, therefore, when we have so many words to chose from, do we use the same words over and over again? Let's break this mould today and, wherever possible, try to make use of a synonym. Click on the image below to read the 10 most overused words in the English language - then try to think of some alternatives!