British, U.S. and French soldiers’ slang during WWI

2nd Jan 2018.Reading time 12 minutes.

some characteristic slang creations of the British, U.S. and French soldiers during World War One, as recorded in ‘Trench Talk’, published in Everybody’s Magazine (New York) of January 1918

The literal meaning of ‘cappuccino’ is ‘Capuchin’.

1st Jan 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

USA, 1948—espresso coffee mixed with steamed milk—borrowed from Italian ‘cappuccino’, literally ‘Capuchin’, because the colour of this type of coffee resembles that of a Capuchin’s habit—cf. French ‘capucin’ (= ‘Capuchin’), a name for the hare, from the colour of the animal’s fur

origin of ‘baloney’

30th Dec 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

‘baloney’ or ‘boloney’: ‘humbug’ and ‘nonsense’—USA, 1922—American-English alteration of ‘bologna (sausage)’, a large smoked sausage made of seasoned mixed meats, from the name of Bologna, a city in northern Italy, where these sausages were first made

‘See you later, alligator’ originated in U.S. teenagers’ slang.

29th Dec 2017.Reading time 9 minutes.

The colloquial see you later, alligator, which originated in American English, is a catchphrase used on parting. The expected response is in, or after, a while, crocodile. —Cf. also notes on ‘see you later, agitator’. The earliest instance of see you later, alligator that I have found is from Teenagers’ Slang Expressions Are Explained by […]

European precursors of the American ‘Indian summer’

27th Dec 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

The name ‘Indian summer’ (late 18th century) reflected the fact that to the Europeans living in the New World, this was a newly-discovered local phenomenon. But similar phenomena were already known in the Old World by various names.

the queen’s cushion, a Scottish makeshift seat

25th Dec 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

‘queen’s’, or ‘king’s’, ‘cushion’: a seat made by two people who cross arms and hold each other’s hands to form a support for another person—Scotland and northern England, 19th century

‘beer o’clock’: 5 p.m. as the end of the working day

24th Dec 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

The original meaning of beer o’clock is 5 p.m. as the end of the working day. Its first known user was Stephen King (born 1947), American author of novels of horror and suspense.

origin of the phrases containing ‘mustard’

22nd Dec 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

The various phrases containing the word ‘mustard’ are based on the image of something which adds heat or pungency.

‘Hands down’ originated in horse racing.

21st Dec 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

19th century—The adverb ‘hands down’ originated in horse racing: a jockey who is winning comfortably is able to lower his hands and relax his hold on the reins.

origin of ‘Bombay duck’

19th Dec 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

‘Bombay’: alteration after the city’s name of ‘bummalo’, the name of the fish—‘duck’: common dishes were humorously called by the names of superior ones

word histories

Tag: USA