origin of gingerly - English Language Usage Stack Exchange For years I thought gingerly meant "with spirit or liveliness," I suppose because "spirit and liveliness" define the noun ginger But no; gingerly means "cautiously or carefully " How did it take
Is walking gingerly the first usage of gingerly? And why did it . . . Your best bet for questions like this is the Oxford English DIctionary The first edition is available online without charge; it says (here) that in its earliest use (early 16th century) gingerly was chiefly applied to dancing and walking, with the sense "daintily, elegantly" The origin is uncertain, but there is apparently no etymological connection with the spice
What is the origin of the term ginger for red-headed people? I'd like to know the etymology of the word "ginger" in reference to red-headed people In particular, if "ginger" in this context is related to the plant root used in cooking, I'd like to know how
etymology - Origin of walking on eggshells? - English Language . . . Or perhaps it's from when you're trying to find where your chickens hid their eggs, and need to walk gingerly in the area Discussion in the comments raises doubts about whether there's anything more to the question than the earliest attested use of the saying: the meaning is so obvious that there couldn't be too much to it getting coined
Whats the difference between “bucket” and “pail”? When Robert climbed gingerly from the bucket, she knelt in a patch of snow to kiss his hand and cheeks Jon had given his chief captive the largest cell, a pail to shit in, enough furs to keep him from freezing, and a skin of wine Then it seemed to take forever to come to a rolling boil and twice forever to fill six wooden pails
Usage of the word Slightly - English Language Usage Stack Exchange 2 No, 'slightly' doesn't work there I think the word you want is 'gradually' gradually ˈɡradʒʊli,ˈɡradjʊəli adverb in a gradual way; slowly; by degrees "the situation gradually improved" synonyms: slowly, moderately, unhurriedly, cautiously, gently, gingerly, circumspectly, unspectacularly; More