The Unusual Origins of Some Familiar Words – Curious Origins
by When Portuguese sailors first encountered a large flightless bird on the island of Mauritius, they were struck by its ludicrous clumsy appearance and the ease with which they were able to catch it. They christened it the doudo, the Portuguese word for stupid. Even the bird’s Latin name (Didus ineptus) emphasized its silliness. Since doudos, or dodos, tasted delicious, they were extinct – hence the origin of the expression “as dead as a dodo.”
The Unusual Origins of Some Familiar Words – Curious Origins
By Mr. Ghaz, September 16, 2009
The Unusual Origins of Some Familiar Words – Curious Origins
Carat
The word carat, a measure of weight for precious stones, derives from the carob bean, which grows on the Ceratonia siliqua tree. The bean is remarkable for its consistent weight of 0.2; therefore there are approximately 142 carats or carob beans, to the ounce (one ounce equals 28.35 grams. One carat is divided into 100 points, with each point, with each point equivalent to the weight of only about three breads crumbs.
Cattle Rustling
The term was not applied to stealing until 1882. The word rustle evolved in the 19th century as a variant of hustle, meaning energetic or pushing. It then came to be used as a synonym for wrangler, a cow hand. In the days when numerous unbranded cattle roamed wild, a rancher might order his hands to “rustle up” some of the maverick, which he then branded as his own.
Dandelion
source: http://u.nu/7vu83
The name comes from the supposed resemblance of one of the leaf spikes of this plant to the tooth of a lion – or dent de lion, in French.
Disaster and Influenza
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