Daily random tidbit.

[yayfulness]

Since finding out that usted originally came from a phrase meaning "your grace," I've occasionally had the temptation to start saying the same thing in English. It would be a fun experiment for a day or two.

And by "fun experiment" I mean "really awesome way to annoy people."

[Portia]

Since finding out that usted originally came from a phrase meaning "your grace," I've occasionally had the temptation to start saying the same thing in English. It would be a fun experiment for a day or two.

And by "fun experiment" I mean "really awesome way to annoy people."

We already use corrupted honorifics - Ma'am, Mister, Mrs. all came from titles in a household. I assume you're aware of the thou/you distinction. I think I find the fact that "them" is Scandinavian to be most interesting. (Safe bet for words beginning with that thorn sound.)

[Katya]

Andorra is ruled by two co-princes, neither of whom are Andorran. One is the Catalan Bishop of Urgell and the other was historically the French Count of Foix. Eventually the county of Foix was absorbed into the French crown, but ever since the French Revolution, there is (oops!) no more king of France, so the title was transferred to the President of France, which means that the President of France is the only monarch in the world who is elected by common citizens (although he isn't elected by the people he monarchs over).

[Katya]

Utah once had a Jewish governor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Bamberger

[Portia]

"Emma Nutt became the world's first female telephone operator on 1 September 1878 when she started working for the Boston Telephone Despatch company, because the attitude and behaviour of the teenage boys previously employed as operators was unacceptable."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchboard_operator

[Katya]

There is a city in Washington (state) named George. (And the streets are named after varieties of cherries.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Washington

[Katya]

Cross posted from fb:

The word "riding" (in the sense of the political unit used in Canada and elsewhere) is not related to the verb "to ride" but instead comes from the word "t(h)rithing," which was a third of a county in the Danelaw. The word "t(h)rithing" lost its initial "t(h)" because it was commonly preceded by words that ended in "t(h)" such as "North" or "East," so the preceding words eventually absorbed the initial consonant of the following word.

[Digit]

There is a city in Washington (state) named George. (And the streets are named after varieties of cherries.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Washington

I grew up in Washington, though not anywhere near George. I know there's a gorge nearby some people call "The gorge at George" which I remember mostly coming up in conversations as a venue for musicians to stop by.

[Portia]

Cross posted from fb:

The word "riding" (in the sense of the political unit used in Canada and elsewhere) is not related to the verb "to ride" but instead comes from the word "t(h)rithing," which was a third of a county in the Danelaw. The word "t(h)rithing" lost its initial "t(h)" because it was commonly preceded by words that ended in "t(h)" such as "North" or "East," so the preceding words eventually absorbed the initial consonant of the following word.

Started with thorn þ! My favorite letter!

[Portia]

of course it was a sound change from ð

[Zedability]

I always just liked to be pretentious and say "constituency" instead of "riding" anyways.

[Katya]

of course it was a sound change from ð

?

[Portia]

of course it was a sound change from ð

?

from late O.E. *þriðing, a relic of Viking rule, from O.N. ðriðjungr "third part," from ðriði "third"

[Katya]

of course it was a sound change from ð

?

from late O.E. *þriðing, a relic of Viking rule, from O.N. ðriðjungr "third part," from ðriði "third"

Ah. The OED etymology doesn't give a form with ð.

[Portia]

Vulgar Latin vocabulary
in which
"Perna" does not seem familiar to me, having only studied Classical Latin, French, and Romanian

"leg" crūs -
*camba (Greek) Vegetius (4th cent.) French jambe, Italian gamba, Catalan/Portuguese camba, Romanian gambă (possibly borrowed), also Pt "câimbra, cambito, cambalhota, gâmbia, gambeta"
perna Portuguese/Galician perna, pernil, Spanish pierna

[Giovanni Schwartz]

Frank Oz, the man who did the voice of Yoda in Star Wars, was also the voice of several Muppets, including Ms. Piggy, Bert, Grover, and Cookie Monster.

[Katya]

Frank Oz, the man who did the voice of Yoda in Star Wars, was also the voice of several Muppets, including Ms. Piggy, Bert, Grover, and Cookie Monster.

Are there people who don't know that? (Are we raising a generation not well versed in Muppet trivia?! (Will sending out sister missionaries at 19 do anything to stem this terrible tide???))

[krebscout]

That made me laugh out loud and read it to Sauron.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

Well, you ARE an old lady, after all.

[mic0]

Gio, I knew that, too, and I'm only a little bit older than you. :\ Just sayin'. (Maybe I just proved that I'm an old lady??)