安裝中文字典英文字典辭典工具!
安裝中文字典英文字典辭典工具!
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- etymology - what are the origins of hi, hey, hello? - English Language . . .
The question of the etymology of hello is a fascinating puzzle According to the the OED it was originally an Americanism derived from the British hallo which has its origins in the Old German "halâ, holâ, emphatic imperative of halôn, holôn to fetch, used especially in hailing a ferryman " However other dictionaries (such as Dictionary com) cite an origin in the Romance word "hola", an
- Etymology of div meaning a stupid or foolish person
Acting like a div yesterday: a stupid or foolish person I started to wonder how this term of abuse came about Urban Dictionary has a quaint tale: Actually originates from prison slang in the UK
- etymology - Why do people say buck for a dollar? - English Language . . .
The word has been in use in this sense since 1748 according to etymonline I would guess most currencies have changed their designs quite significantly since then, and the term likely didn't come from any design on a coin at all The fact that there happens to be a buck on the 1 rand coin is probably either coincidental or reversely causal: they could have put the buck on the coin because a
- etymology - What gave terrific a positive connotation? - English . . .
Possible Duplicate: How and why have some words changed to a complete opposite? I have noticed that: horrible means bad terrible means bad horrific means bad So why does terrific mean good?
- offensive language - What is the etymology of BFE? - English Language . . .
I am fairly certain that the inaccurate “butt fuck Egypt” derived from bum being the English term for buttocks Clearly the definition of BFE is the same regardless of what one believes the “B” stands for, but I thought is was worth correcting I have no idea how accurate or reliable the above etymology is There is no entry on
- etymology - Where did the phrase batsh*t crazy come from? - English . . .
The word crazy is a later addition Scanning Google Books I find a handful of references starting from the mid-60s where batshit is clearly just a variation on bullshit (nonsense, rubbish) - which meaning still turns up even in 2001, but it's relatively uncommon now Here's a relatively early one from 1967 where the meaning is crazy A decade later most references have this meaning, but the
- etymology - What is the origin of the phrase playing hooky? - English . . .
What does the word "hooky" mean in the phrase "play hooky" (skipping class truancy) and where did it come from?
- etymology - What is the origin of the phrase hunky dory? - English . . .
Nobody really knows There's no agreed derivation of the expression 'hunky-dory' It is American and the earliest example of it in print that I have found is from a collection of US songs, George Christy's Essence of Old Kentucky, 1862 We do know that 'hunky-dory' wasn't conjured from nowhere but was preceded by earlier words, i e 'hunkey', meaning 'fit and healthy' and 'hunkum-bunkum
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