White Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘pink’ and now look at ‘white’.

White flag used to signal a truce, is first seen in the early 17th century. There must have been a time when both sides agreed this would signal a temporary ceasefire, for if only one side knew it could be disastrous for them.

White dwarf is an astronomical reference to a type of star and first recorded in 1924.

White witch, one who uses her power for good, is first recorded in 1620.

Nobody told a white lie until 1741.

White water, a reference to the turbulent waters over rapids, is first seen in the 1580s.

White collar workers were first described in 1911. Although white collar crime was not seen until 1957.

White elephant, something which proved expensive and nigh impossible to get rid of, is first seen in 1851. This was said to be because the King of Siam insisted on giving a present of a sacred albino elephant to any courtier who had fallen out of favour. Said courtier could not sell it nor dispose of it without incurring the wrath of the monarch, but would still have to pay for its upkeep.

White meat, chicken for example, is first seen in 1752.

White bread was not described as such until the early 14th century – this simply because the flour used to make the bread was not white.

White feather, a symbol of cowardice, is first seen in 1785 – although then it referred to the blood sport of cock fighting, when the bird with no white feathers was considered to be braver.

White noise, the sound you get when a receiver is not tuned properly, is first described in 1970.

Nothing was white hot until 1820.

White out – when everywhere is blanketed in a cover of snow – is first recorded in 1946. In 1977 it was also used to describe correction fluid, until the preparatory name took over.

Egg white, that part of the egg which is colourless until cooked, must have been known since the earliest days when Homo sapiens walked the planet. Yet it was never referred to as egg white until as recently as 1881. As we all know it is also known as albumen, but for the vast majority the term ‘glair’ was used before egg white gained in popularity.

Pink Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘black’ and now look at ‘pink’.

Pink slip is a North American reference to dismissal from employment. First seen in 1915, sometimes the reference was to a signature from the employee stating they would leave the union.

Pink elephants are apparently an hallucination for those suffering a little too much to drink. The reference is first seen in 1913, when it appeared in Jack London’s John Barleycorn.

Pink eye is a contagious eye infection first named in 1882. Earlier, from 1570, it referred to a small eye.

Pink collar – if clerical jobs are white collar, and manual workers are described as blue collar, it is not hard to work out those jobs usually performed by or associated with women are pink collar jobs. This reference is first seen in 1977.

Nobody was tickled pink until 1909, although ‘tickled’ had been used to mean ‘pleased’ since 1580.

In the pink today means ‘in the best of health’ and has done since 1720. However there is an earlier reference from 1597, when someone called William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet when Mercurio spoke of himself as “Why, I am the very pinke of curesie” which was a reference to the acme, pinnacle, the best, rather than just to health.

Strike me pink is an expression of surprise attributed to the Australian vaudeville character Roy Rene around 1903. He would also use ‘strike me lucky’, ‘strike me….’ Well just about anything to get a laugh.

See pink spiders is used the same as pink elephants, but also used to refer to the hallucinations associated with withdrawal symptoms. The Pink Spiders was also the name of a band debuting in 2005.

Pink tax is a phrase from the USA in the 1990s when the Gender Tax Repeal Act of 1995 prohibited price discrimination meaning women did not pay more for goods.

Shrink it and pink it is a reference to a previous ploy by advertisers to make clothing more appealing to women, tactics such as relabelling a size 10 as a size 8.

Pink wave is a reference, chiefly in the USA, to a period seeing an abundance of female candidates for political office.

Pink slime is finely textured or ground meat – the phrase coined to question the quality of the product.

The pink dollar was first used in the 1990s in the USA to describe the spending potential of gay people in retail outlets.

Elephant Idioms

Several words have found themselves used in a number of phrases. We looked at 'silver' last time and this time it's 'elephant'. To see the elephant, an Americanism from around 1835, refers to gaining knowledge by experience.

Elephant jokes have only been told since around 1960. Of course I will – What wears glass slippers and weighs over three tons? (Cinderellephant)

Nobody bought a white elephant until 1851.

Elephantiasis is one of two diseases, normally by a thickening of a part of the body (usually the legs) or a wrinkling of the skin akin to that of an elephant – both seen from around 1580. Note the skin version is also known as Egyptian leprosy.

Elephantine, used to describe something very big, is first seen in the 1620s.

Oliphant is first seen in the early 17th century, not a reference to the animal but to its ivory tusk, while heffalump is first seen in A. A. Milne’s books from 1926, although we are never overly sure it is actually an elephant.

Break Idioms

Several words have found themselves used in a number of phrases. We looked at 'money' last time and this time it's 'break'.

Break even, in a financial sense, has been known since 1914.

The straw that broke/breaks the camels back began as an English proverb "It is the last straw which breaks the camel's back" which sounds much better to me. First seen around 1755, by the time it had become fixed (around 1830s) the phrase had undergone many changes. Different forms in the late 18th and early 19th centuries saw the camel replaced by a horse or an elephant.

Break bread, a phrase meaning 'to share a meal with', is not recorded before the end of the 14th century.

Break dancing is not recorded in print before 1982, although the dance style was known in the late 70s in South Bronx.

Break one's heart - it seems nobody had their heart broken, at least in print, before the end of the 14th century.

Gaol (Jail) break has been used since at least 1735.

Breakneck, earlier not just associated with speed but anything deemed hazardous, is first recorded in the 1560s.

Breakwater, that structure which produces a safe harbour by holding back the worst of the waves, is first recorded in 1721.

Break wind, fart if you prefer - and I did hear it on the BBC's Blue Peter (the word that is, not the fart) making it most certainly acceptable - did not appear in print until around 1550. Did people break wind before 1550? Yes, they just didn't refer to it as such.

Break the ice is not known before 1600.

Break a leg, the traditional theatrical way to wish someone good luck, is a tradition which is only from 1948, although that reference does suggest it was used since the 1920s. There is also a German version, which translates as 'break your neck and leg'.

Sierra Leone Place Names Explained

Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest of Sierra Leone's cities.

Freetown was named for the four hundred former slaves sent here from London in 1787.

Bo is a town said to be named for its generosity, and that is going to take a little explanation. When an elephant was killed near where the town is now found, many came from the surrounding area for their share. Hunters spent days cutting and carving and sharing out, doing so with the words bo-lor which, in the Mende tongue, means 'this is yours'. The term latterly also came to be translated as 'this is Bo'.

Waterloo was founded in 1819 as a settlement for liberated Africans and named after the recent battle in Belgium where Napoleon lost.

Port Loko gets its name from the Loko people, although this indigenous group refer to themselves as Landogo.

Kabala in both Limba and Fula languages meaning 'at Bala's place'.

Lunsar began as Ro-Sar which, in the local Temne language, means 'where stones are found'. This refers to the iron ore mining beginning in the colonnial era, this when the name became Lunsar.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.

Nepal Place Names Explained

Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest Nepalese cities.

Kathmandu is a Pahari name from the Kasthamandap Temple which once stood in Durbar Square. Sanskrit kastha means 'wood' and mandapa 'pavilion', an obvious explanation of what the former place of worship was made from.

Lalitpur has several explanations for its name, these more legend than etymology. Most often these speak of the god Rato Machhindranath, brought to the valley by three people from Assam in India. One of these three was named Lalit, a farmer who had carried the god here to alleviate the appalling drought conditions. The name is said to come from Lalit and his pur or 'township'.

Birgunj was named after the 11th prime minister, Commanding General Shree Shree Shree Maharaja Sir Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (10 December 1852 to 5 March 1901).

Janakpur is named after the ancient Indian king of Videha, King Janaka reigned around 2,800 years ago.

Tilottama is named after the local river, itself named after an aspara, a celestial nymph in Hindu mythology. Furthermore the word is a portmanteau of two Sanskrit terms, Tila 'sesame seed', or something of similar size, and uttama 'better, higher'. The understanding is of something very small which is still comprised of the finest and most superior qualities.

Tokha is derived from two Newari words, tu 'sugarcane' and khya 'field' and an indication of local delicacy of chaku made from raw sugercane.

Madhyapur Thimi has a number of legends told of how it got its name. We can be sure this area, along with Bhaktapur and Patan, were often battling for superiority for generations. Beginning with Thimi, this is held to be from the term chhemi 'capable people', a reference to their resilience in continuing to live there despite the constant warring. Eventually the name acquired the addition from madhya 'centre' and pu 'city', thus 'the central city of the capable people'.

Chandrapur was named after the prime minister Field-Marshal Maharaja Sri Teen Chandra Shamsher Junga Bahadur Rana, who held office from June 1901 until his death in 1929.

Rajbiraj is named after Rajdevi Temple, with raj meaning 'state' and biraj 'to reside, live'.

Belbari comes from two Nepali names, Bel 'wood apple' (also known as elephant apple or monkey apple) and Bari a tree native to Nepal.

Kirtipur is from the Sanskrit kirti 'glory' and pur 'city'.

Siddharthanagar is from the Buddha's given name of Siddartha, earlier the place was known as Bhairahawa from the deity Bhairava, a manifestation of Shiva.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.

Namibia Place Names Explained

Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest Namibian cities.

Windhoek has a number of explanations, although most believe it comes from the Afrikaans wind-hoek or 'wind corner'. Others point to Captain Jonker Afrikaner, who is reported to have named the place after the Winterhoek Mountains in South Africa, home to his ancestry, and suggested as there is no earlier mention of Windhoek until a letter from the captain in August 1844.

Walvis Bay is named, somewhat obviously, after the bay on which it stands. Its name comes from the Afrikaans for 'whale bay'.

Swakopmund is German for 'mouth of the Swakop'. This river name comes from the Nama word Tsoakhaub meaning 'excrement opening'. This rather undignified origin actually refers to the river in flood, when it carries all manner of rubbish to the Atlantic, dead animals were particularly noticeable. There is a second explanation, this from the San language where xwaka ob refers to 'rhinocerous river', although this does not seem likely for these pachyderms are not particularly associated with water.

Henties Bay, the name of the town as well as the bay, recalls 1929 when Major Hendrik 'Henty' Stefanus van der Merwe discovered the place while looking for water. He and his party had been hunting for rhino, he looking to claim a reward offered by a Pennsylvania museum for a complete skeleton. Having killed the beast, it was stripped of its flesh and the bones carried it to the coast where, while desperately searching for water, they discovered this valley and its fresh water. He later returned to this spot to build a hut showing the water source and it developed into a tourist destination.

Omaruru is from the local Otjiherero language, it translates as 'bitter milk' and a reminder of when cattle grazed on a native bush which resulted in their milk tasting bitter.

Otjiwarongo is also from the Otjiherero language, this translating as 'beautiful place'.

Okahandja is a third from the Otjiherero tongue, this referring to 'where two rivers flow together to form one wide one', a rather long explanation for a confluence.

Grootfontein translates as 'large spring' and reminds us of the nearby hot springs.

Mariental is named after the wife of Hermann Brandt, they headed up the first colony to settle here.

Outjo is the Otjiherero word for 'small hills'.

Gobabis had always been a region where elephants were common. This leading to it becoming a base for ivory hunters and doubling as a trading post. The name of Gobabis is said to be named by colonists who spoke of the goba bis 'the place where people quarelled'. However, it is not clear just what they were arguing about, perhaps the sense should be seen as bartering more than a disagreement. Earlier the local Khoekhoegowab word khoandabesor 'where the elephant came to lick'.

Keetmanshoop is named after Johann Keetman, a German industrialist and the city's principal benefactor. Earlier the place had been known as Nutgoaes or 'black marsh'.

Karasburg is a reminder of the 'karst springs' found here, the waters contain a high degree of dissolved minerals from the soft limestone rocks.

Luderitz is named after Hanseat Adolf Luderitz, a merchant and founder of German South West Africa.

Oranjemund is German for 'mouth of the Orange', the river named by Colonel Robert Gordon in honour of William V of Orange. Previously it had been known as the Groote Rivier or 'great river' by the Dutch, and earlier still as the Gariep, a name which has returned to favour recently, means 'big water'.

Arandis comes from the Khoekhoegowab meaning 'the place where people cry' and is home to the world's largest uranium mine.

Usakos is from the Damara word for 'grab the heel'.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.