Search found 10 matches

by jerrythebeeguy
Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:34 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Barrage
Replies: 1
Views: 3188

Re: Barrage

You failed to mention the use of this word during WW2. Huge inflated balloons tethered with steel cable were deployed on the coast of Southern California during the war to stop low-flying aircraft over oil refineries and aircraft factories; they were called "barrage balloons". I leaned thi...
by jerrythebeeguy
Wed Dec 12, 2018 12:58 pm
Forum: Pronunciation
Topic: 'Zh' sound in English
Replies: 5
Views: 99529

Re: 'Zh' sound in English

"I wonder if there are parallels in other languages, i.e. sounds which do occur in native words ...." The Zh sound occurs in Quichua very often. In fact, twice in one word such as "allillachu" (meaning "how are you"). Two ells are used in spelling the word because it wa...
by jerrythebeeguy
Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:52 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Truckle
Replies: 1
Views: 3250

Re: Truckle

Aha! So that's where "hand truck" got it's name. And pickup truck, and bobtail truck, and semi-truck, etc. It seems anything with wheels for hauling is a truck.
by jerrythebeeguy
Fri Nov 16, 2018 2:42 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Guttersnipe
Replies: 2
Views: 4243

Re: Guttersnipe

How about the "snipe hunt"? "Snipe" was also used to mean that fictitious bird that a dupe was left in the woods at night holding a bag to catch. His pals told him they would herd it towards him if he waited long enough. Of course, his pals went home and left him in the woods all...
by jerrythebeeguy
Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:50 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Privy
Replies: 4
Views: 7242

Re: Privy

"Private" is also used to describe the lowest (or first) rank in the military. The second rank is "private first class" which seems to be a bit of a redundancy.
by jerrythebeeguy
Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:16 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Wretch
Replies: 2
Views: 5199

Re: Wretch

Overlooked here is the use of wretch to describe the convulsion of the body that leads to vomiting.
by jerrythebeeguy
Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:42 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Bravo
Replies: 3
Views: 5769

Re: Bravo

"Bravo" apparently has yet another meaning in South America; I often heard a baby described as bravo (que bravo!) when crying loudly and with great energy in public, and I took it to mean "how angry".
by jerrythebeeguy
Sun Sep 10, 2017 11:48 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Shoo
Replies: 6
Views: 8842

Re: Shoo

My wife Dawn, who is a Pennsylvaniac, grew up on shoo fly pie, and she tells me that her mother told her that the name came from this: On baking day many pies were made and the leftover dough, sugar, molasses, etc. accumulated on the side and the flies had to be shooed off until there was time to ma...
by jerrythebeeguy
Sat Sep 09, 2017 1:10 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Shoo
Replies: 6
Views: 8842

Re: Shoo

Of course, I learned "shoo" as a child like everyone else. When I lived in Ecuador for a couple of years I leaned that the Spanish speaking people there said "oosh" to mean the same thing. I wonder why? I see no clue of origins of that in Spain so maybe they learned it from Quich...
by jerrythebeeguy
Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:19 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Husband
Replies: 5
Views: 7125

Re: Husband

Animal husbandry is a familiar term to most us, but to "husband" a whole farm was a new one for me when I ran across the following quote while researching origins of my name, which is Mixon. "Hard by or at home, better wed over the mixon than over the moor; mixon being that heap of co...

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