Even-steven

At university my tutor corrected my 'even-steven' to 'even-Steven'. I objected and pointed to a dictionary. She said she didn't need a dictionary, she knew better. I won't bother with the resulting emails flying back and forth - I wasn't happy, but I was right it is even-steven (and I would never have posted this had I been wrong, obviously).

It did make me wonder whether an etymologist could answer the question and so I did a little digging. It seems there are no less than three explanations and I shall start with the most recent, which dates from 1962. Australians use the phrase 'Even-Stevens', reputedly the name of a racehorse which was so good the best odds you could ever get were evens.

Older is the American version of 'even-Steven', although that must have been borrowed from the United Kingdom as it concerns none other than Jonathan Swift. It is held to be from a character in his Journal to Stella. There is a line stating "Now we are even, quote Steven, when he gave his wife six blows to one." Stella was a real person named Esther Johnson, reputedly his lover and they were buried alongside one another.

And finally the British explanation, where 'steven' is a slang term for money. Hence the phrase tells us the monies were distributed equally.

Which is the correct explanation? Obviously the Australian explanation is too late as the phrase was in use rather earlier. Jonathan Swift is a possibility but, and I've said this often, the first use known in print will almost certainly follow the word and/or phrase being already in use. Which leaves us with the British slang for money and, yet again, this hardly rings true as I could find no other reference to this slang term.

The best clue comes from Jonathan Swift's writings, for that shows the phrase was in use. It probably also shows the term has seen a change of meaning as there is no parity between the six blows given for the one received. Thus, perhaps the original rhyming referred to inequality, rather than the modern use.

That was not what I meant. (J)

The etymology of 'Jargon' has always been one of my favourites.

Jangle, the discordant sound of metal on metal, is first recorded in the thirteenth century as meaning 'to chatter'.

Jargon might today be used to describe talk using specialist knowledge, but in the fourteenth century the word referred to the 'twittering of birds'.

Jaunt was used to mean 'ride a horse back and forth' in the sixteenth century, not simply 'a short pleasure trip' as today.

Jeopardy is to take a risk, but came to English from the Old French jeu parti or 'divided game', but used in English to refer to a chess move in the fourteenth century.

Jet is a stream of matter, usually gaseous but sometimes liquid, but began in sixteenth century English as a synonym for 'project, protrude, stick out'.

Jilt is to reject, and particularly a lover, but first appeared in English in the seventeenth century to mean 'loose woman, harlot'.

Journal, a record of ones thoughts or activities, is a word first seen in the fourteenth century when it referred to a book containing prayers for the different canonical hours of the day.

Junket is a sweet milk dessert consumed most often on feast days, but the word originated in the fourteenth century as a reference to a basket for fish destined for the table, ths later transferred to the contents. In later centuries those contents altered, too.