Unexpected facts — Page 2

Stories in “Unexpected facts”.

• Apron once carried an n at its own beginningEnglish apron developed from Middle English napron. The sequence a napron was reinterpreted as an apron, shif…
• Old words can survive inside familiar expressionsA fossil word is broadly obsolete in ordinary use but remains within an idiom or set phrase. English kith in…
• Edit was formed from editorEnglish edit is an example of back-formation from editor. A shorter word can be created by removing what is i…
• Gorilla gorilla is not a typing errorA tautonym repeats the same word in the genus name and species epithet, as in Gorilla gorilla. Such names are…
• A person’s name can become a thing’s nameAn eponym is a person or thing that supplies another name. John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, is an example asso…
• Went originally belonged to a different verbEnglish go uses went as its past tense, but went came from the past tense of wend. This is a case of suppleti…
• Nearby sounds can make a spoken form shorterHaplology reduces a syllable or part of one near a similar sound. The colloquial shortening of English librar…
• Bird developed from Old English briddEnglish bird developed from Old English bridd through a change involving the order of sounds. Such rearrangem…
• High and low can include the places betweenSearching high and low means searching everywhere, not ignoring medium heights. It illustrates merism, where…
• Free gift can repeat part of the meaningThe expression free gift is an example of semantic overlap, since a gift is ordinarily free. Such redundancy…
• Disheveled does not come with a normal sheveledThe English word disheveled appears to offer an opposite if dis is removed, but sheveled is not an attested o…
• Gift changes meaning across the language boundaryEnglish gift means a present, while German Gift means poison. This is a false-friend pairing: similar-looking…
• Bread-making can become an underwear-eating questionA Japanese sound sequence asking about having made bread can be resegmented to ask about having eaten underwe…
• A bee and the letter n can represent beenA rebus combines pictures and letters to represent words or phrases. In an English example, a bee picture sup…
• Dermatoglyphics repeats none of its lettersThe English word dermatoglyphics uses fifteen letters without repeating one. Such words are called heterogram…
• Silly once carried happier meaningsEnglish silly shifted from senses of happiness and good fortune toward foolishness. The development of a nega…
• Much and mucho did not come from the same rootEnglish much and Spanish mucho look and mean something similar, but derive from different roots. Such false c…
• Bueno loses its final vowel before a masculine singular nounSpanish bueno becomes buen before a masculine singular noun, as in buen hombre. In hombre bueno, the final vo…
• Araw-araw means every day, not two daysIn Tagalog, araw means day or sun, while the full reduplication araw-araw means every day. Repeating a form c…
• App can shorten appetizer as well as applicationEnglish app can be a clipped form of appetizer or application. Shortening different words may bring them to a…
• The ending can depart from the grammar of the startAnacoluthon interrupts a sentence’s expected structure, continuing in a different grammatical pattern. It occ…
• Oxymoron itself joins sharp and dullBittersweet combines opposing meanings. The term oxymoron describes such a combination and itself derives fro…
• Changing English word order changes the spotlightAnastrophe departs from ordinary word order, for example by putting an object before the subject and verb. In…
• Wheels can mean an automobileEnglish wheels can refer to an entire automobile. The name of a component stands for the whole vehicle. Synec…
• The disclaimer can introduce the subjectApophasis raises a subject while professing not to discuss it. A refusal to mention something can itself make…
• Quiddity has more than one specialist senseIn scholastic philosophy, quiddity refers to an object’s essence or whatness. In legal use, it can mean a qui…
• Four corners and a center make a quincunxThe five-spot on a die places four dots around one in the center. This quincunx pattern also appears on cards…
• The emphatic use is recorded in dictionariesEnglish literally normally signals a literal sense, but dictionaries also record its use to acknowledge nonli…
• Hamster may acquire a transitional pEnglish hamster is often pronounced with an added p sound between the m and s. This is epenthesis, an inserti…
• A quodlibet combines familiar materialA quodlibet combines recognizable tunes or texts, either together or in succession, often for humorous effect…
• Section signs can count the referencesThe section sign § is used to refer to a section of a document. The doubled form §§ can refer to multiple sec…
• № joins an N with a small oThe numero sign № combines an N with a raised o and derives from Latin numero. English No. also serves as an…
• A tie mark helped identify a single wordIn ancient Greek texts written without spaces, a tie mark could indicate that letters belonged to one word. A…
• Catalan l·l differs from llCatalan uses the middle dot between two l letters in l·l, distinguishing this pattern from ll with its differ…
• Prime and double prime are distinct symbolsPrime ′ and double prime ″ resemble apostrophes or quotation marks but are distinct symbols. They have specia…
• An anagram changes order while keeping the materialEnglish listen and silent contain the same letters in a different order. This rearrangement is an anagram. Tr…
• A pangram brings the whole alphabet into viewThe familiar English sentence about a quick brown fox jumping over a lazy dog includes every letter of the al…
• Gadsby keeps E out of more than fifty thousand wordsErnest Vincent Wright’s 1939 novel Gadsby uses over fifty thousand words without the letter E in its text. Co…
• A corporate email carried an acrosticIn a January 2010 email marking Sun’s acquisition by Oracle, Jonathan Schwartz arranged the first letters of…
• The symbol ə records a central vowelThe phonetic symbol ə is a rotated lowercase e. It represents a mid central vowel, with a reduced form known…
• Eszett also acquired an official capital optionGerman ß is a distinct letter, not a form of B. It was traditionally capitalized as SS. In 2017, the Council…
• Long s belongs to older forms of printingThe character ſ, called long s, is an archaic form of lowercase s. In some typefaces it closely resembles f,…
• Spanish 1.ª abbreviates a feminine formSpanish primera can be abbreviated as 1.ª. The raised a helps represent the feminine ordinal form, with a per…
• Ditto marks repeat the words or figures aboveA ditto mark signals that words or figures from the line above are to be repeated. It is a shorthand rather t…
• Coöperate displays a pronunciation reminderIn the spelling coöperate, the diaeresis signals separate vowels and the division co-op-er-ate. The unmarked…
• An old dictionary gives apricity a seasonal senseThe old English word apricity concerns sunlight or solar warmth. A 1626 dictionary explained it as the sun’s…
• Absquatulate means to leave in a hurryAmerican English absquatulate is slang for departing quickly or fleeing. Attested since the 1830s, it is a jo…
• Snollygoster describes an unprincipled, shrewd personThe old English slang term snollygoster describes a shrewd person not guided by principles, especially a poli…
• Sesquipedalian demonstrates its own subjectEnglish sesquipedalian can describe long, polysyllabic words or a style given to using them. The term itself…
• Floccinaucinihilipilification names an act of dismissalThe twenty-nine-letter English word floccinaucinihilipilification describes treating something as unimportant…
• Aotagai buys the harvest before the rice is ripeJapanese aotagai refers to reserving a rice harvest while the crop is still green. It also describes securing…
• The Japanese expression names more than one sightJapanese kitsune no yomeiri can mean rain falling during sunshine. A dictionary also records a sense involvin…
• Dokusenjō and dokudanjō have different charactersJapanese 独擅場 is read dokusenjō and describes a field someone can dominate. Confusion between 擅 and the stage-…
• Hatenkō also concerns an unprecedented achievementThe first Japanese dictionary sense of hatenkō is accomplishing what nobody had achieved before. It also reco…
• Yakubusoku can mean the role is too smallJapanese yakubusoku describes a part beneath an actor’s ability, and more generally a role too light for the…
• The geki in the phrase is a proclamationJapanese geki o tobasu concerns circulating a message to gather supporters. The dictionary distinguishes usag…
• Buzen can describe disappointment or surpriseJapanese buzen has dictionary senses of disappointment and surprise. Usage concerning displeasure has also sp…
• Ugatsu has physical and figurative sensesJapanese ugatsu can mean making a hole or penetrating something. It can also describe accurately identifying…
• Classical wokashi has a broad rangeClassical Japanese wokashi can describe humour, interest, aesthetic charm or beauty, as well as strangeness.…
• Yabusaka de nai need not mean reluctanceJapanese yabusaka can mean stingy. In the negative expression yabusaka de nai, it can convey sparing no effor…
• A puppet, and a person treated like oneQuockerwodger names a jointed toy moved by pulling a string. Figuratively, it can describe a person controlle…
• Crooked things and imaginary creaturesIn American colloquial English, catawampus can mean crooked or out of alignment. As a noun, it can also name…
• A word for letting time drift awayTo lollygag is to dawdle or spend time idly. It puts a playful-sounding label on the familiar business of get…
• A strange word against confusing writingGobbledygook describes language made confusing by excessive complexity. Maury Maverick used it in a 1944 memo…
• A long name for a stomach rumbleBorborygmus names a rumbling sound caused by gas moving in the intestines. Its Greek ancestor is itself onoma…
• An opinion beyond the speaker’s expertiseUltracrepidarian describes someone offering judgments beyond their knowledge or expertise. It is uncommon and…
• A comic sound with an insulting meaningNincompoop means a foolish or silly person. Its unusual sound does not make it a compliment. Several origins…
• A chatterer, and an old word for an impFlibbertigibbet can describe a flighty, chattering person. An archaic sense refers to an imp or fiend. A rest…
• An umbrella word that sounds misleadingly BritishBumbershoot is a humorous slang word for an umbrella, originally and chiefly American. It is sometimes mistak…
• Counterclockwise, with an old-fashioned atmosphereWiddershins means counterclockwise. The dictionary marks this sense as archaic and now chiefly associated wit…
• A cat’s tongue can describe a personThe Japanese word nekojita literally combines cat and tongue. It describes sensitivity to hot food or drink,…
• The fifth month follows an older calendarSamidare refers to prolonged rain around the fifth month of the traditional lunar calendar, rather than simpl…
• An iridescent colour can describe an answerTamamushi-iro names an iridescent colour like a jewel beetle’s wing covering. Figuratively, it describes ambi…
• A two-thousand-year snake suggests worldly cunningUmisen-yamasen describes a worldly, difficult-to-outwit person. Its traditional explanation involves a snake…
• An opinion passes like wind by a horse’s earBaji-tōfū describes hearing advice or criticism without taking notice. The image of spring wind at a horse’s…
• A made-up word for being acceptableCromulent means acceptable or satisfactory, with a humorous flavour. It was coined for a 1996 episode of The…
• A humorous word for running out of readingAbibliophobia names a fear of running out of things to read. The dictionary labels it humorous. It is about l…
• That disturbance can be a kerfuffleKerfuffle is an informal word for a disturbance or disorderly commotion, used chiefly in Commonwealth English…
• Enjoyment of someone else’s misfortune has a nameEnglish borrowed schadenfreude from German. It describes malicious enjoyment of another person’s misfortune,…
• Wanting something, but making no move toward itVelleity can mean a slight wish unaccompanied by effort to obtain it. It distinguishes weak wanting from a re…
• Skedaddle means to leave in a hurrySkedaddle is an informal verb for moving or running away quickly. The lively sound accompanies a rapid depart…
• Koharubiyori is not a spring-weather termJapanese koharubiyori describes a mild, warm day in late autumn or winter. Koharu originally referred to the…
• Callipygian describes beautifully shaped buttocksThe English adjective callipygian describes beautifully shaped buttocks. Its Greek roots refer to beauty and…
• Omohayui means feeling bashful or awkwardJapanese omohayui means feeling bashful or awkward. It is written 面映ゆい, with characters associated with a fac…
• Misprision has more than one route to its meaningsEnglish misprision can mean misunderstanding or misinterpretation. It can also mean contempt or failure to re…
• Clinomania names an excessive wish to remain in bedThe English noun clinomania describes an excessive desire to remain in bed. The definition concerns wanting t…
• Classical tsutomete can mean early morningModern Japanese tsutomete can mean deliberately or as much as possible. In classical Japanese, the same sound…
• Shinonome describes daybreak, not a type of cloudJapanese shinonome refers to daybreak, when the eastern sky begins to brighten. Its written form, 東雲, contain…
• Namaji can be written with the single character 憖Japanese namaji can describe doing something despite poor prospects, or being incomplete and half-hearted. Th…
• Cacoethes can name a compulsion or maniaThe English noun cacoethes means a compulsion or mania. It gives an unfamiliar name to an overpowering urge o…
• Serein names light rain from a clear sky after sunsetThe English noun serein refers to light rainfall from a cloudless sky after sunset. The dictionary lists it a…
• Kataharaitai can also express embarrassment or discomfortJapanese kataharaitai can dismiss someone’s behaviour as ridiculous. The dictionary also gives senses of feel…
• Classical akugaru can mean more than admirationClassical Japanese akugaru can mean wandering about, becoming absent-minded or having one’s heart move away.…
• Snickersnee is an old word for a swordlike knifeThe dated English noun snickersnee refers to a large, swordlike knife, particularly one used as a weapon. An…
• 無聊 describes boredom, not a price of zeroThe Japanese word 無聊 is read buryō and means boredom. It is a different word from 無料, muryō, meaning free of…
• An amanuensis takes dictation or copies manuscriptsAn amanuensis is a person employed to take dictation or copy manuscripts. The English word can also refer to…
• Afflatus links inspiration with the idea of breathingAfflatus names a sudden creative impulse or inspiration, often associated with divine influence. The English…
• Gobemouche describes a gullible person, with a fly in its ancestryIn English, a gobemouche is a naive or gullible person. The word was borrowed from French, with elements conn…
• Apanthropy names a dislike of company and a love of solitudeApanthropy is an English noun for disliking human company and loving solitude. It describes a preference for…
• Classical Japanese yoshinashi can mean unrelated or trivialThe classical Japanese adjective yoshinashi is written 由無し. Its meanings include unrelated and trivial or uni…
• A name for learning laterThe rare noun opsimath describes someone who learns late in life. Its roots lead to Ancient Greek words conne…
• Shiorashii has more than one shadeJapanese shiorashii can suggest modest or obedient behaviour. Its dictionary entry also includes elegance, lo…
• Breakfast, dressed in a grand adjectiveJentacular means relating to breakfast, particularly an early meal just after rising. It derives from a Latin…
• Yukashi invites curiosityIn Classical Japanese, yukashi can mean that something arouses interest. The dictionary connects its origin w…
• A word for the winding routeAnfractuous is a rare adjective meaning winding or twisty. It can describe a literal shape or work figurative…
• Susamaji need not sound impressiveModern susamajii can suggest intensity. Classical susamaji also carries meanings such as dreary, cold or lack…
• A name for the unexpected rescueEucatastrophe is a term coined by J. R. R. Tolkien for a dramatic turn in a story that brings the protagonist…
• Aramahoshi is a complete wordThe Classical Japanese adjective aramahoshi means desirable or pleasing. The dictionary explains it as ari co…
• A long adjective for the day before yesterdayNudiustertian means relating to the day before yesterday, or very recent. Wiktionary marks it as rare and obs…
• Modokashi could express disapprovalThe Classical Japanese adjective modokashi means feeling inclined to criticise, or being displeased. Wiktiona…
• The place an animal cannot scratchAcnestis is a zoological term for a patch of an animal’s skin that it cannot reach to scratch, usually betwee…
• Anagachi once described someone’s mannerModern Japanese anagachi appears with negatives to mean not necessarily. The Classical Japanese adjective ana…
• A rare word about raritySelcouth can mean strange, unfamiliar, marvellous or wondrous. Now rare, it comes from Old English elements a…
• Asamashi could express astonishmentClassical Japanese asamashi can mean astonishing or unexpected, alongside meanings such as lamentable and uns…
• Itadzura could describe being idleIn Classical Japanese, itadzura could mean useless, idle or empty. Modern Japanese itazura often suggests mis…
• A grand-sounding name for empty braggingFanfaronade can mean empty, assertive boasting, or a loud and showy display or celebration. Borrowed from Fre…
• A commotion or a babbling streamBrabble has dated uses for making a clamorous noise or for a brawl or commotion. As a verb, it can also descr…
• There is a name for impractical ingenuityChindōgu describes ingenious everyday gadgets that appear to solve a problem but may create others. Kenji Kaw…
• Sozoro is not only about distractionJapanese sozoro can describe an unsettled mind, but also a state without a clear reason. The expression sozor…
• A stomach rumble or a wobbling walkIn dialectal English, wamble can name a stomach rumble or an unsteady walk. As a verb it can mean to wobble o…
• Someone who never laughs can be an agelastAgelast is a rare English noun for a person who never laughs, especially at jokes. It comes from a Greek term…
• Adashi can mean other or differentThe classical Japanese adjective adashi means other or different and can be written 他し or 異し. An unusual gram…
• A quarrel over words can be logomachyLogomachy can mean a dispute about the meanings of words, or a conflict fought entirely with words.
• Collywobbles can trouble the stomach or the nervesIn informal, chiefly humorous British English, the collywobbles can mean an upset stomach. By extension, it c…
• An older word could also mean spitefulClassical Japanese ayaniku could describe inconvenient circumstances, spitefulness, or something happening co…
• An argument can be an argle-bargleArgle-bargle is English slang for a verbal argument and can also be used as a verb meaning to argue. The expr…
• Even scribal mistakes had a demon’s nameIn Christian tradition, Titivillus was said to collect scribes’ mistakes and words omitted during worship. He…
• Usobuku once also meant slipping out unseenJapanese usobuku can mean boasting or pretending not to know. Older uses include whistling, reciting poetry,…
• A little lie can have a rather long nameTarradiddle means a small fib, or silly talk and writing. It can also be spelled taradiddle. Its four-syllabl…
• The same kanji can be read hinemosuJapanese 終日 can be read hinemosu as well as shūjitsu. Hinemosu means throughout the day, from morning to even…
• Kettai can sound strange—or mean forming a unitIn Japan’s Kinki dialect, kettai describes something odd. A separate word with the same sound, written 結隊, me…
• There is a word for the learned talker at dinnerA deipnosophist is skilled in conversation at the dinner table, especially learned conversation. The word doe…
• Subekaraku traditionally expresses what ought to be doneThe Japanese word subekaraku traditionally accompanies an obligation or recommendation, expressing that somet…
• Aramashi also has a sense concerned with the futureThe Japanese word aramashi commonly suggests an outline or summary. A dictionary also records the sense of th…
• Katajikenai can also express shameThe Japanese word katajikenai may sound like an expression of gratitude. A dictionary also records senses of…
• One word covers a boastful person and a leaping gameCockalorum can mean a self-important person of little standing who makes empty boasts. A dictionary also reco…
• Choosing side roads has its own English verbShunpike is a noun for a side road or route. As a verb, it means travelling by side roads to avoid toll roads…
• Futsutsuka also has a sense of being thick and sturdyThe Japanese word futsutsuka is associated with shortcomings or lack of refinement. A dictionary also records…
• Atara can be written with two unexpected kanjiThe Japanese word atara means regrettably or unfortunately and can be written 可惜. The dictionary also records…
• An obsolete verb describes the appearance of workingFudgel is an English verb for giving the impression of working while getting nothing done. Wiktionary marks i…
• An old slang word can mean a blow or a decisive argumentWiktionary marks sockdolager as dated American slang. It can describe a powerful or finishing blow, but also…
• A word for greed is linked to a coastal place nameThe Japanese word akogi, written 阿漕, describes shameless or unscrupulously greedy conduct. Wiktionary connect…
• One word can name a nonsense-talker or the nonsense itselfBlatherskite can mean someone who talks freely but produces nonsense. Wiktionary also records a sense meaning…
• Okogamashii can be written with an unfamiliar pair of charactersThe Japanese adjective okogamashii can describe presumptuous behaviour. Spellings include 烏滸がましい and 痴がましい. W…
• Appare can be written with the single character 遖The Japanese expression appare praises something admirable. Besides 天晴れ, Wiktionary records the single-charac…
• Akudoi can describe flavours and colours tooThe Japanese adjective akudoi can mean excessively bad or unscrupulous. Wiktionary also records a sense for f…
• Inase has both a stylish sense and a classical homonymJapanese inase can describe stylish spirit and is written 鯔背. One proposed origin connects it to an Edo fish-…
• Bumf covers unwanted paperwork and an older toilet-paper senseEnglish bumf is a derogatory term for unwanted papers, including official documents, forms and marketing mate…
• Tamayura can describe brief time or an orb in a photographJapanese tamayura, written 玉響, denotes a very brief interval. Wiktionary also records a sense for small orb-l…
• Hornswoggle means to trick, though its origin is uncertainEnglish hornswoggle is a slang verb for deceiving or tricking someone. As a noun it can mean nonsense. Wiktio…
• Pettifogger can mean a quibbler or an unscrupulous lawyerEnglish pettifogger describes someone who raises petty, irritating objections. It can also mean an unscrupulo…
• Omedetai can be celebratory or unflatteringJapanese omedetai is a polite form of medetai, a celebratory word. It also has senses of being overly trustin…
• Utsutsu means waking reality or one’s sensesJapanese utsutsu appears in phrases such as yume-utsutsu. On its own, the noun denotes waking reality or bein…
• Omomuro ni describes starting slowlyJapanese omomuro ni describes beginning an action slowly, and can also suggest a deliberate or affected manne…
• Ingin alone describes sincere courtesyJapanese ingin means heartfelt politeness, and can also denote close relations. Add burei, meaning rudeness,…
• Ozanari and naozari look different in kanjiJapanese ozanari denotes a careless, makeshift response. Wiktionary connects its formation with goza, meaning…
• Shitataka can describe quantity or degreeJapanese shitataka is written 強か. Alongside substantial strength, the dictionary lists firmness and intensity…
• Fizzle has an unexpected etymological connectionEnglish fizzle can mean to hiss or sputter, or to end less successfully than hoped. Wiktionary connects it wi…
• Balderdash once also denoted a worthless mixtureEnglish balderdash means nonsensical speech or writing. Wiktionary also lists an archaic sense for a worthles…
• An old meaning is far removed from idle rumoursEnglish gossip can refer to rumours or someone discussing other people’s private affairs. Wiktionary also rec…