Deary, Terry; Philip Reeve (ill.);
Horrible Histories: Wicked Words
Scholastic, 1996, 192 pages
ISBN 0590542575, 9780590542579
topics: | language | english | history
The pen is mightier than the sword - Baron Lytton
In the 1600's criminals could escape hanging if they could read the first sentence of the 51st Psalm, "my sin is ever before me," but a finger was branded, and if caught murdering again, would hang.
Before 43 BC - Celts, speaking Celtic
43 BC - 410 - Romans. Drove Celts to Scotland and Wales - return to Rome, leaving some words 449 - Angles and Saxons invade from Germany - Angles win - Angle-land = England. Language is Old English - alliteration as memory aid for long poems - often gruesome - like Beowulf 597 - St Augustine in England - Pope Gregory's joke - non Angli sed Angeli - "not Angles but Angels". But the Church's use of Latin words leaves a lasting mark on English. 787 - Vikings invade the North - 1066 - Norman Rule - Battle of Hastings - Lords speak French, peasants English. 1387 - Chaucer starts Canterbury Tales - rhyming 1450 - Gutenberg invents printing press (or was it a Dutchman called Coster?) He dies a pauper. 1476 - William Caxton - first press in England. What word to use? In a story from one of his books - a group on a boat-ride in the Thames goes to a farm and asks for eggs. They don't know what it is. But when asked for Eyren, they have them. But Caxton uses the same spelling he did the first time he uses a word. 1590 - Settling of America - pilgrims bring English 1714 - King George is German - he can speak no English 1755 - Samuel Johnson's dictionary - no slang words. 1870 - schools made compulsory in England --- Old English - a naddre -->? an adder; waps --> wasp; bridd --> bird gift --> old english word for medieval custom of bride price ; Latin - after 20, count using pebbles (calculus in latin) --> calculate - Roman times - salt used to pay soldiers. (e.g. "not worth your salt") L. sal --> "salary" - L. calculus, meaning pebbles (used for counting after running out of fingers and toes) --> calculate - L. vacca, cow; cow pox used by Jenner against pox --> vaccination --- when your teacher tells you to "Hold your tongue," she doesn't mean "Stick your fingers in your mouth and grab hold of that fat slimy thing inside." - p. 56 Oscar - prizes started by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929. Called Oscars because in 1932, the Librarian of the Academy was heard saying of the statuette - "reminds me of my Uncle Oscar," and a newspaper reporter printed the story. pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - a lung disease among miners - longest word in OED (45 letters). Sideburns - from US General called Burnside Young Urban Professional Person - yuppies (russian yuppies, yupsky; japanese yuppie - juppie), Double Income No Kids - dinkies, person inheriting parents property (pippie), well-off older person (woopie). infantry - from Italian. Infants, or boy soldiers, were not allowed to join the cavalry. 25% of english word usage consists of NINE words - and, be, have, it, of, the, to, will, you. -- murdered in cold blood -- calmly, not in hot blood; calm = "butter doesn't melt in his mouth" "To be in another person's shoes" - Viking custom - when adopted a son, he got the shoes making both ends meet - accounts - both end sums must be equal -- "mete" - spelling error made it "meet"
astronomer -- moon starer schoolmaster -- the classroom softheartedness - often sheds tears slot machines -- cash lost in 'em old west action - clint eastwood Hated for Ill --> Adolf Hitler [Mother-in-law: When you rearrange the letters: --> Woman Hitler Eleven plus two: When you rearrange the letters: --> Twelve plus one President Clinton of the USA --> to copulate he finds interns Dormitory --> Dirty room Desperation --> A rope ends it The eyes --> They see Election results --> lies - let's recount This sign is a facsimile of PT Barnum's original. (On sale at etsy.com) EGRESS: According to legend, on days like 4th of July, P.T. Barnum's museum would become too packed (most people having brought in their dinners), he would have one of his staff go through the house shouting “This way to the Egress!” Customers, expecting some exotic bird or something, would be directed to a door marked “to the Egress” and only when going through it would they realize that “egress” meant “exit”. Meanwhile, others waiting for tickets could be admitted. SMILED: longest word in the world... (because there is a mile between the first letter and the last)