Butterfly answer, plus a little controversy :-)
I give the answer to the butterfly game in this video.
A couple things. First off… I went with the OED and Wedgwood who pointed out that the Dutch synonym boterschijte suggests that the insect was so named due to the appearance of its excrement. Now, a cursory search on the net has practically EVERYONE quoting 1 source that states that butterflies don’t excrete, thus “that theory must be incorrect”. BUT.. I dug a little deeper, and I found that some butterflies DO excrete, especially right after metamorphosis.. and their excrement has a clear, sometimes buttery and sometimes bloody looking appearance.
There is one other theory of a tale that people thought butterflies were witches that stole milk and butter in the night.. but it seemed as if people added the butter bit in after the fact, as I think the original was just milk… so I went with the controversial Wedgwood theory :-)
Am I just trying to “stir up the pot”? Maybe this is one for the MythBusters!
If you’d like to prove me wrong, please do so in the comments below! :-)
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“We have a saying in the Desert, if you will cook the meal with words, I will promise an ocean of butter. Thou shalt have the horses in the morning.”
– Lew Wallace – Ben Hur (1827-1905) :cool:
[moth]-balls and myth busters…giant-leopard-moth…………..horse FLY :P
Bee blunt!
u can say whatever u want lol
u can teach us how to swear in russian lol
u can teach us how to swear in russian lol
The wand strikes. Random lesson…Jars of dried butter, without the flies…Iron Butterfly – “Don’t Look Down on Me” 1967…
Say anything you want. I’ll just have to wear boots, when chasing butterflies. Language makes understanding standing under the thunder. Say it, not spray it…profanity must pray or the be the prey for the day. Eggs are (caboodle) togethered with similar opinions and feelings in a group. As always…good job Marina —Hot.For.Words :roll:
wow , you are having fun with yourself
Slang are a part of English , and your job enables you to use them instead of the noisy bleeps
Butterfly shit … holy shit :shock:
I’m inclined toward the association with butter and the name “botervlieg” in Dutch; butter churning was done in spring when butterflies came out, and I think it’s possible that butterflies would be attracted to the salt (and maybe trace minerals) which was added to butter, which they need for reproduction. Butterflies will also extract sodium and other minerals from dung, which is readily available in the pastures of dairy farms.
My feeling is that “butterfly” is one of those common names which comes from obvious, unique behaviors, and “butter-like excrement” is not very obvious because of the short time which butterflies will excrete anything, and that their excrement does not usually have the appearance of butter.
the use of “swear” words is a rough subject cause everyone has their own opinions but as for me i don’t like them and i don’t use them that brings me to another question where did these so called bad words come from and why do some people use them like its the only words they know :?:
I think you should use all words at your disposal. BTW, here’s Stephen Pinker on language, including so-called profanities.
Please stay above the current trend toward vulgarity. There are some many other wonderful words out there. Obscenities are realy not necessary. :wink:
Dear teacher
Thank you for the origin of the word butterfly, very interesting indeed!
About the slang words.
I think you should use them when it is appropriate for your lesson (even if I can’t stand this fµ°°ing kind of fµ°°ing words!).
Of course, no need to use them instead of polite and litterate words! My argument is that if you use slang words you allow every body to use them, so the comments will quickly become insulting and disappointing. You address people with the vocabulary they use. If you impose politeness, people will behave!
Thank you for your attention.
Amicalement
Don Felipe
You can say what ever you want on your videos. The key word is YOUR videos. The internet is all about free speech and until they change that, you can say what you please.
I have an interesting (at least it is for me….) question for all of you. My daughter has a fear of flying insects. I believe it started with her being stung a couple of times by wasps, but she also has a fear of butterflies, moths, ladybugs, etc. So, what would the name of her fear be called?
Also, I have accused some in the past (not here, of course….) of having their ‘head up their ass’ or as I have seen it, a rectal cranial inversion. So, is RCI, the proper medical term or should it be something else?
:twisted:
Well ,better do what the teacher say and do my homework….
Of course you should use ALL words in the english language, no holding back and no “beeps” neither.
your dear student Swedehunter
I am sorry, the explanation is wrong. The myth was that butterflies came around whenever somebody makes butter by stamping (? you know the way to make butter?) milk.
In German for example “Schmetterling” means Butterfly, and Schmetterling comes from “Schmetten”, the process of making butter. IN the most languages Butterfly has something to do with butter, like the polish, the danish..
Just in Italian “Farfalle” comes from the way they fly. The origin of “Farfalle” is not! the noodle, but finds access in old-german by “fli-flattera”. Would be nice to prove, but might be to special.
Wonderful videos, thanky a lot for them!
Bo
The funny thing about it is that all these words evolve from just normal words. Words are like metaphors for reality. So if you do not like “shit”, it is because you have associated for a long time with, well, shit. Why should “defecation” be any more acceptable to you?
People say, “I had to go to the bathroom.” To do what? Read a book? Usually people keep books in there. That is so weird.
Dung, by any other name, smells as foul.
A woman who swears is less attractive than one who is profane…
the same can be said of a man, I guess.
Guttaral language is not an attractive character trait. Certainly, there are more interesting words than obscene words to learn about.
Thanks for your input, tcpike!
My response to Bob (above) wasn’t meant to be either thought-provoking OR an insult (read it again). I DID want to call him on what I saw as a playground-level pecker comparison, however.
The rest was just foolin’ around with alliteration. I figure, if I don’t have anything nice to say, at least I could try to use some words that’ll make a couple people reach for their dictionaries. :smile:
I agree with you one hundred percent that there are a lot more interesting words that aren’t “obscene” (whatever that is) than there are “dirty words” out there, but I don’t try to sort ‘em into what’s “good” or “bad” because they’re all just tools we use for communication. Racial slurs, cruelty for its own sake, and poking fun at those with permanent disabilities are a whole different story, however.
Just for fun, you might look up the word “guttural” and note the difference between guttural languages spoken with emphasis low in the throat (lots of usage of velar sounds, like in French and German, for example) and “gutter language” (like cursing).
I think you might agree there are probably plenty of nice German-speaking girls who are pretty darn attractive, regardless of their native tongue if’n you catch my drift.
Thanks for responding! This is a great forum. Happy trails.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. Gutter language would have been a better choice of words. I was thinking in terms of harsh.
These is a great forum. Many interesting people from all over the world exchanging ideas.
I don’t think you should censor yourself. Like you said, curse words and slang are part of the English language, after all. They’re even in the dictionary.
I was wondering, where does the word “Bling” (sometimes said twice, “Bling Bling”) come from?
Onomatopoeic for the sound of a cash drawer opening. Back in the 80′s we used to say, “cha—CHINGGG.”
Ok I was able to see the video late “My Bad”
but regarding the slang, comming out of you!
don’t even sound near slang [must be your BEAUTY]
Also had to mention that you have a beautiful Evil Twin Sister
(she is also “HotforControversy”)
Trully Your’s, Me!
If slang is part of our everyday language, why not use it? However, if some people are being prudish about it, maybe you should devote some time to looking into where some of these colorful words came from.
How about the word snafu. People say it on tv all the time. I bet they have no idea what they are actually saying. Love your site.
What a great one jroger, I’m going to record that one next! :smile:
ERrm not exactly a reply, but How do I post my photo here?
Marina, wasn’t the term “politically correct” used in your mother land as a tool of oppression prior to its introduction and usage in the U.S.? Perhaps that is worthy of investigation.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye! In honour of HotForWords, aka Marina, Queen of the Linguistions, The king has proclaimed, TeN days of Merrymaking!
Too bad I have a midterm coming up!
But in the future, try to spell my name right at least once. I get to thinkin’ there’s just too many letters in the dang thing.
Nazdorovye!
I would be most graciously honored if the delightful HotForWords aka Marina would Define and give me the definition, and origin of the word diplomat. Geez, I’ve been so philologised! Oh and prepare for the pun hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Let me get this straight. You want her to define AND give the definition? What, you think she’s getting paid to do all that work?
Yes, as matter of fact I do, pennsylucky9. Any activity here, as well as youtube, and her other ventures, including her book all promote her, and also, any participants, including myself.
There are many opportunities on youtube to turn a profit, I’ve had as few offers directly from youtube, but I’m not sure what to make of them.
Thank you for your reply,pennyslucky 9, I appreciate it.
I would like to know the origin and effect of the word verisimilitude. It’s kind of a big word for its meaning don’t you think? Thanks Doll!
How about “Lollygag”
Example: She’s “lollygagging” about!
Used to describe an individual moving about, without direction, and/or with much procrastination … I think!
I was wondering, where do you get your Information from?:)
davitsiman, the Oxford English Dictionary is a primary source that I use. http://www.oed.com
I would like to know the origins of the word RECLUSE. Many definitions include solitude. There is the recluse spider…and then one which mentions seclusion from intercourse? :shock:
Thank you very much.
Hi. Requesting: Divide et impera.
Thanks, i like you very much. :)
Hi Marina,
Thanks for the lessons. I have a word request “masticate”. Is it rude to masticate while your teaching? :wink:
Hello Love I was wondering what the word mamihlapinatapa actually means if anything hope to hear back from you soon oh p.s. you are a smart and hot little lady no offence.
Keith
HI MARINA:
My Marina says, “Priviet.” We were wondering if you ever had a chance to look up the orgin of the word “jewelry?” Does it have anything to do with the Jewish people?
Thank you, Marina. Specibo.
charliek, I keep deleting your email address from your posts.. that’s how spammers get your email address by harvesting email addresses from websites. I can email you privately if I need to from your registration, but I would suggest not putting it in posts.. just for your own peace of mind :-)
Jewelry will probably be a good word as so many people think it comes from the Jewish…
Nobody give the answer here please!, I’ll make a video! :-)
so, now we know it does not come from the jewish. DUH!
;)
As for the word “Butterfly”, trust Marina, who if anybody noticed, looks absolutely stunning in this video, to make it the most controversial word yet. To borrow an expression coined by aLx, \o/ . The word butterfly itself conjures up the image of sweetness & the innocense of youth, at least for me, some may have a phobia, yet unnamed fear of butterflies & I do pity you, honest I’m not laughing. My son’s girlfriend has a fear of clowns & that has a proper phobia name. i don’t digress much do I? Anyways I grew up & hated having to wash my car when the weather was nice because the honeybees & butterflies were the only things crapping on my car. So I started looking at butterflys as my enemy, But because of youthful memories of the sweetness & innocence of God’s beautiful little creature, http://www.howdididoit.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/monarch-butterflies.jpg
I couldn’t bring myself to exterminate them, so I bought a smaller car, easier to wash, I’m Happier now.
Its great to see a lot of discussion here brought about by words & their uses, if you find your temper getting up about what some one said, think about the crappy butterflies & how they started out & the beauty of their miraculous metamorphosis.
http://7art-screensavers.com/screenshots/butterfly/blue-butterfly.jpg
I better go now or I’ll start to sound like Lenin (John), I don’t even like Him but I wouldn’t want to start any arguments. Cheers
the big lebowski again:
“she probably kidnapped herself [...]”
“that fucking bitch.”
“it’s all goddamn fake, man. it’s like lenin said, you look for the person who benefit and, uh … uh, you know, uh — ”
“I’m the walrus?”
” — you know, you, uh, uh, you know what I’m trying to say.”
“I’m the walrus.”
“that fucking bitch!”
“oh, yeah.”
“I’m the walrus.”
“that’s ex — ”
“shut the fuck up, donny! v.i. lenin! vladimir iljitsch uljanov!”
“the fuck is he talking about?”
well, he wasn’t talking about lennon.
Great reference!
One of my favorite films. But I suspect you may be casting the proverbial “pearls before swine” as it were, my friend.
BTW, did you notice the (assumed inadvertent) capitalization of the male pronoun? Kinda gives a conflicting impression of the true meaning of that last statement, eh?
Peace.
Dear Marina,
My sister and I have a word request, we would really like to know the word origin, [or the wordigin :grin: ]
Of the word Gargoyle, I think that would be a fun word,
Thanks, Lacey and Ariel
Where did LUNATIC come from?
Does it have anything to do with the moon? :lol:
where did “tad” come from
as in
can you move that to the left a tad
If you want to be taken seriously, instead of just being a bimbo in a bikini with a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary, you’ll have to use serious academic language, and that includes eliminating vulgar slang. Any idiot can curse and most of them do. The more intelligent you are, the less you need gutter language to communicate with. If you’re going to offend some people by using the S-word and so on, why not offend others by using racial epithets?
Others? As in “any idiot?” Thanks, but I’ll pass (you are encouraged to use your imagination what I’ll be passing).
Open a window! It’s getting really stuffy in here. I must’ve stepped in some kind of sanctimonious anti-excrementarianism or other! How do I GET THIS OFF MY SHOE?
Vulgar! Whut the hail is that? Some sort of cross between a SEE-gar and a vulva? And why would you be registered, that’s right I said “REGISTURD” to participate in this blog if the best you can do for a comment is to call the teacher “a bimbo?”
Doesn’t anyone ATOLL know what a “bikini” is?
Can’t somebody tell me what they mean by the S-word? Nobody?
Why all the mystery? Oh, I so RUE the day I threw my UNABRIDGED away! The POPE said I wouldn’t need it… ALAS! Alackaday.
This overwhelming dearth of specificity begs the question “how do bugs process their eliminations?” And speaking of insects, isn’t PUPAE the plural of POOPY? Color me shocked and appalled!
Unless you have some last-minute racial epithets to impart, please exit via the professorial poopchute. Stop by el clue dispensore on your way out. Take two, they’re free. D minus.
Marina, I have a word you might have fun with. In the 20′s young hot girls (such as yourself) were called Flappers. I don;t think that the origin of this word came from the way they used their lips. Could you “investigate” in your most alluring way to find out why hot party girls of the 1920′s were called Flappers? By the way, If I had a teacher like you while I was in school, I would surely still be there, in your class, in the front row, with a large book or coat covering my lap. :roll: :lol: Peace, Adrian
It was one movement pattern in a couple different popular dance styles. You know, bend elbows, flap arms up and down like when doing the “funky chicken.” 23 skiddoo!
For those of us who have seen some classic films from the era (or movies that take place in that era), this answer was obvious. Great job, pennsyltucky9. You must be somewhere between Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Liked your response to Bob, too! Funny and clever!
P.S. I know your doppleganger is your trueself, Marina, and that is who I have the hots for!!!!
luvs
It’s a mystery that merde and excrement are acceptable but shit ain’t. When the context calls for it, why not use the word? Where in the bible does it say not to use the word shit? It’s when cuss words are used to spice up sentences with emphasis, emotion or criticism, that the speaker runs the risk off being gauche. I’d tell the guys at work as much, but they’d just look at me funny and ask me what I fuk’n meant.
SHIT is my favorite curse, only cause u can do so much wit it, u can eat it, swim in it, pile it high & deep, don’t let SHIT hit the fan, don’t SHIT ur pants neither, u can be SHIT out of LucK, some people think there SHIT dont stink, u can be SHIT for brains, a SHITHEAD or even dumb as SHIT. You can look like SHIT, smell like SHIT, feel like SHIT or taste like SHIT. You can have a clean SHIT, a runny SHIT, a messy SHIT and the perfecf SHIT. Hey homie this some goood SHIT, where’d u get this SHIT from?!? Cold SHITS or even a hot SHIT. However as for me I am all shitted out. Thankyou.
-MoS
“I like your style, dude.”
“yeah, well, I dig your style, too, man. got the whole cowboy thing going.”
“thank you. there’s just one thing, dude.”
“and what’s that?”
“do you have to use so many cuss words?”
“the fuck you talking about?”
“okay, dude, have it your way. take it easy, dude.”
“yeah. thanks, man.”
the big lebowski.
I rock the Sam Elliot moustache. Or is it mustache?
moustache is a good word to suggest for a lesson. That’s my suggestion Professor.
Moustache
for the RECORD Butterflies are AliVe therefore they PooP. Pooping is a character trait of Life. To be alive means your gonna have to poop. Se la vi
Snakes and owls don’t crap, they spit up.
but they still excrete waste Muggins, the owl eats a rat digests it lives and grows on the good stuff and rids itself of the bad whether through its ears its mouth its nose or in our case our bunghole, excretion occurs. An exchange is what it is :smile:
snakes shit, seen em’ do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH3FVTdqEw8
@ buzzword
I stand corrected about snakes.
@ mutarum
“Crapping”, when used to describe a bodily function, has a narrow definition that does not commonly refer to ears, nose or mouth.
It’s a bm.
plants are alive. never seen a plant take a shit.
They take fertilizer into their roots, don’t they? :mrgreen:
Plants do excrete waste, through a process called photosynthesis. I’m no biochemist but you guys are jogging my high school memory. It is the chemical process through which very simple sugars are created for the plant to thrive off of. CO2 ( carbon-dioxide ) absorbed in the night. H2O ( water ) absorbed through the roots. You mix the two add some sunshine & love & the by product is simple sugars & O2 ( Oxygen ). They’re not pooping out of a butt but there is a waste being released. Oxygen. More info available @ wikipedia or ur local library or education center.
I gotta take off I stop back in, in a reset or 2.
Peace.
- Suleiman
so you consider breath an excrement too? wtf?
dude, I’ve met people whose breath should be considered as excrement.
YEAH!!!!
I guessed right!!!! I say to hell with those that want to argue! Besides you can’t always believe what you read on the net. As for the slang, use what ever fuckin’ words you want to. It is your time, effort and FUCKING SHOW. To hell with what they think. Just like a TV or radio, change the fuckin’ channel folks. LOL
Have a GREAT weekend!!!
luvs
Hey Profess, Im looking for a nice and fat dictionary for my office, I was debating between “Oxford” and “Random House”
what u think?
Suleiman
Dear Marina,
I absolutely love your lessons! What a great idea…first get everyone’s attention, and then hit them with some education. Wonderful!
Anyway, the word whose origin I would be interested in learning is “maelstrom”, as in “a large and/or violent whirlpool”. Hopefully I’ll have the good fortune to see this word on one of your delightful videos some day!
Thank you for all the fun and learning, and good luck with all your endeavors,
backinbowl
I got a 720 verbal on my SAT back in the day, I read a hell of a lot of books and still I hear stuff from you I never knew. Keep it up and thanks also you are hotter then any teacher I ever had.
Great job Marina.Thanks for the lesson.5 stars
I swear I thought it’s 1 but I’m surprised it’s #3. I don’t give a fuck what others think. Use dirty words all you want. Whateva is best for you. :lol:
Freedom “in” speech. Relish it!
There is so much utter crap spoken and written about freedom.
Didn’t Marina herself have a quote on this very web site recently to the effect that “a people or nation that values its freedom more than its integrity will soon lose both”? Or are all your memories as short as your peckers?
Freedom is not the same as compulsion.
There is no such thing as “freedom of speech” – what we do have is freedom of CHOICE to use whatever form of speech we choose, and the way we choose, as well as what we choose, is what defines each individuals character.
Wow Bob,
Way to play that “mine’s bigger” card!
Isn’t it thought-provoking that a well-placed insult can so pave the way for the peremptory promulgation of pontificatory platitudes propounding a pertenacious preponderance of purely patronizing poppycock?
‘Nuff said!
pecker
noun
1. obscene terms for penis [syn: cock]
2. bird with strong claws and a stiff tail adapted for climbing and a hard chisel-like bill for boring into wood for insects [syn: woodpecker]
3. horny projecting mouth of a bird [syn: beak]
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
pennsyltucky9,
It is perhaps a measure of your insecurity that you imagine me to be impuning the size of your manhood or to be bragging about mine; at my age and with a heart which can’t pump up the volume it’s very unlikely that I have much bragging rights over many in here.
I was, of course, referring to the honourable members’ noses by my use of Buzzword’s third alternative above. :grin:
I sense a “Yea, right” being loaded into a breach somewhere. :lol:
Of course, Bob. How stooopid of me…
My relative insecurity notwithstanding, neither the size of my manhood (nor that of my childhood!) has been impugned as such.
So once more into the breach, dear friend… As I replied to tcpike below, “I figure, if I don’t have anything nice to say, at least I could try to use some words that’ll make a couple people reach for their dictionaries.”
I’m like a man wearing a back brace (I stand corrected!).
But, with all due respect to Buzzword, I’ll take this opportunity to shut my horny projecting mouth.
I vote for no potty mouth…
obviously, from one of your recent posts, kids are tuning in.
Well they’re the ones teaching us the new usages, in case you hadn’t noticed, yo. And potty is either something you say to your 2 year-old or it’s gangsta slang for PARTY in the current pop nomenclature, hello. Big can of worms. Go ahead; crack that one open.
Once upon a time all the “older generation” wanted to do was to process all the young men (who were ineligible to even VOTE )through their military slaughterhouse in order to keep the ‘babies’ from ‘booming’ and maintain their comfy, secure standard of living. Who had the right to decide? The parents or the kids (victims/casualties/slaves/powder monkeys)?
If kids can slip thru the parental filters, I say more power to ‘em.
So if you don’t like it, perhaps you should consider either starting your own forum or moving toward the exit (in an orderly fashion, of course). This blog is about language. Language is language in ALL its forms. Simply turning back the clock won’t stop the cows from coming home at sunset. Welcome to the future.
And they all lived happily ever after…
Come off your mountain… thought-provoking that a well-placed insult. Your response was neither.
A woman who swears is less attractive than one who is profane…
the same can be said of a man, I guess.
Guttaral language is not an attractive character trait. Certainly, there are more interesting words than obscene words to learn about.
I can understand that the “younger generation” is drawn to things that have been off-limits to them in their youth. They can even get boisterous in their defense of these new and wonderful “rights of passage.” At some point, however, wisdom is acquired.
tcpike,
all of your arguments are culturally relative. there are people from all over the world contributing to this forum. realistically U.S. culture is much more prudish in its use of language. but why expect the rest of the world to follow the same cultural norm. taking part in this forum one should expect to see misspellings, foreign languages, slang, new definitions and words, vulgarities, etc. To observe and take part in a forum about language, using the languages of the world is an great opportunity. Even by objecting to certain words or phrases one is further learning about each others languages and concepts. There are always a few risks, such as objectionable language, but well worth the liberty and knowledge.
buzzword,
Thanks for your response. You have an interesting perspective.
oops I mean :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz:
I would like to suggest the term – “Parthian Shot”. It has an interesting origin and I think it would make good lesson.
Also my compliments on your website and YouTube Channel. I know that a great deal of what you do is “tongue-in-cheek” (another great suggestion for a lesson :idea: ), but I also do learn something – which is more then I can say for my acedemic career :lol:
Im hurt and saddened that you didn’t like my favorite word, syzygy. If it were not for the alignment of heavenly bodies… none of would be here!! :P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:
I wanted to know origin of the word Candid Miss Marina
Please tell me the origin of the word drizzle. I know it means light steady rain but why? Thank you my Dear Teacher :lol:
You don’t need too use dirty words. You are so sweet, and I always love your vids. :grin:
Dirty words: grime, dirt, dust, smut, muck, mud, mire, sludge, slime, ooze, dross, smudge, stain, crud, yuck, grunge, earth, soil, loam, clay, silt, ground.
ya.
Funny.
i want to know about the word callipygian! :mrgreen:
first off da wa a good vid..as always marina mi ah fi luv ya vids so keep dem comin :mrgreen:
second: i dont want no one dissin d way mi ah type on dis….i come from jamaica. it ain na no gangsta talkin ting…its just how i type iight? u ga a problem wid d way mi type den whine about it at home….dont whine at mi down here.
Hey Marina i know probobly have a lot of words to do and you might not have time for this one, but I’m writing an essay on loneliness and i was wondering if you could posibly find the origin of the word lonely. I checked wikipedia and they said it was first recorded in William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus but it wasnt sourced. I just wanted to make sure that was true
i am asking for the word {dick}and tits.
appreciatable marina
My username is a word scramble. Just noticed that “aptronym” can be scrambled to read “my patron.”
Marina,
I saw a show called “Assume the Position” with Robert Wuhl. http://www.hbo.com/events/rwuhl/
I think that you’d like it; it was entertaining and educational.
He claims that the origin of the word “upset” as in – “the winner in an upset” – is due to a horse race in which the “underdog” horse named “Upset” won. Is this true? And what’s an “underdog” anyway? Is there an “overdog?”
So, I have two words for your review: underdog and upset.
Thanks,
jrzy
jrzy, funny you say that because that horse’s name turned out to be an aptronym. I’m thinking about doing a video on it. :smile:
1. Again a great video 2. Interesting answer 3. I believe you have the right and responsibility to use slang words. Slang is just as much and (if you pay attention to most language, which I’m sure you do) even more apart of language than the politically correct, “offical” words.
MARINA, I just want to add that we all really appreciate the fact that you participate in these discussions. A few years back, I joined (and subsequently abandoned) William Shatner’s web site, and he almost never posted. His daughter did a few times. Of course, he was, and still is, a very busy man. I hope you do not become so occupied with radio and television that you neglect your HFW viewers. Thank you, thank you, for your wonderful interaction with the fans.
Hey HFW why does the word Aardvark have two As
Just ask Aaron.
Well, my guess is that it originates from the Dutch word “Aardvarken” – meaning “earth pig” – Aarde comes from “Aarde” – Earth – which is spelled with two A’s because otherwise it’d be pronounced differently.
Aardvark has three “a’s”
When my friend first heard you using profanity I looked over to him and his expression could only be described as flabbergasted :shock: and that got me to thinking, where did the word come from?
Among other words we started thinking about, there were a few that we couldn’t exactly nail down, perhaps you or the community would be so nice as to help us in our venture to find out where, Johnny Knocker came from?
On a lesser note we can’t be so sure about Jukebox either.
So I’d like to request flabbergasted, and my friend who enjoys the videos as much but for different reasons, requests Johnny Knocker, and well jukebox is a tossup if anyone would be so kind as to settle the argument.
Did it already :-) Here is the list of words:
http://www.hotforwords.com/words
Thank you. :mrgreen:
I’ve been trying to go through the videos, kinda missed that one I guess. I don’t suppose you happened to do a video on johnnyknocker? I managed to find out jukebox coming from juke joint, but thats about it so far.
I think your reference is to “Tommyknocker” not Johnny knocker. Check it out.
Marina,
I’ll take your doppleganger if you don’t want her! :wink:
Please!
Now with one word written repllies it’s hard to get the inflection of your response to pattyv’s request. At first read, I surmised that the request almost disgusted you, like pleeeze,..almost offended. Then on reading it a second time, an hour later. It struck me that you would be pleased to give her up. Just thought it was funny my perception of what was said in your reponse could be so opposite of what you meant. What did you mean? The exclamation point didn’t help! Are you feeling misunderstood? Is this a new theme? Cheers! The Gravatr things cool thanx. the edit thing not. If I put my foot in my mouth I’d appreciate a good mouthwashing.
“please, take her.”
never thought of your first interpretation.
As for me, I accept no substitutes!!!! (Not even substitute teachers.) :grin:
WORD REQUEST.WORD REQUEST.WORD REQUEST.
LoVe YoUr LeSsOnS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yeah…Where was I?…Yes…My request…
:arrow: MINOR!!!!!!!
:?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:
How come this word can refer to…
Under the age of year 18…
Yet…
Something of very low importance…
and at the same time…
describes a scale, key, chord, or interval…
But then…
Oh….I forgot….I’m supossed to be REQUESTING this word…Not INVESTIGATING it.lol….PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE :!:
:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
laneah dutcher, you must be a minor with all those smileys! :shock: :grin: :razz: :wink: :cry:
can you turn them off?
I like them aLx.. don’t want to be too staid in here!
Fine! I’ll stop with the smileys and keep my posts the plain “boring-you out of your witts” posts from now on!Oh…wait…I can’t keep up…Did you call me underage,unimportant,a musical scale,a pitch,a chord, a key, an academic major,or a length of time?See what I mean?!? There are too many definitions for this one word,so many definitions that I just can’t see how that all of these very different words can be related to this same word!
laneah is a nice name.
Thanks.I thought so too.I can hardly ever find anyone with the same name as me.That’s why I like it.
Your name’s Alex?Or is aLx Your initials?
alex, yeah.
actually, I’ve never met anyone that really liked their name. that doesn’t mean the hated it, but, you know …
I was once a minor [sic] and a ’49er!!!
anyway, I second laneah’s request. minor. maybe it makes for an interesting story.
Why is this minor request getting so much attention?
huh? all I can see is a request and some not-so-much-related replies.
one sentence two uses of the word, “minor”. As in a small request and a request for the word minor. It amused me at the time, and I wanted to add to the not-so-much-related replies. I seem to be provoking people, I think it’s my menacing glowing pink face in the avatar.
I’m german, man. don’t make fun of me, I’ll get syntactical on your ass.
You can kick the ass out of the punk,
but you can’t kick the punk out of the ass.
I’m pacifist anyway.
Damn, I already switched my avatar to enraged avatar.
wouldn’t have helped much since we have gravatars. ha!
grrrr avatars. I’m tired now anyway, switching back normal GRavatar. Any good reason you became a pacifist, don’t like lifting weights or did you do just to get laid? Make love not war.
it’s not like I’m all against uniforms, you know.
What was that a recruitment video?
So, german girls?
choose.
those are the only two we have. so I guess you understand that they’re pretty busy.
there are alternatives
there certainly are.
Yipes! I always imagined something different.
Where did the expression “drunk as a newt” come from? Having never seen a newt, much less a drunk one, this expression doesn’t seem to make much sense.
I think the expression was coined by Geico, which insures drunk geckos but doesn’t want to admit it :mrgreen:
Have you heard “drunk as a skunk” too?
Yeah, but that expression really stinks!
vulgarity is not interesting because it is so commonplace…requires no intelligence whatsoever…it is anti-intellectual by design, in effect, to reduce to a common level…you are interesting because you portray relatively good taste, are fascinating to watch in the sexy personality portrayal, good acting, giving me to wonder about the deeper meaning of “sexy”…positive vs negative… no doubt this is from having come from Russian philosophical background…i don’t think you want to be so vulgar as American low culture…normally the sexy would tend to make men stupid, and to behave stupidly, so you would not want to do this, to cater to that….but this is counterbalanced by intelligent discussion, which is also attractive to men of course…the net effect being neutral feeling…you also have a good aesthetic element, interesting face and expressions, and your reserve is part of this… hopefully you will stay a bit innocent and not really make fun of yourself or let fame get the best of you…as so many young celebs self-destruct…maybe you should be more careful about some of your sponsors…whether they are good for people or not…this is the only really negative I find so far on your site…but so much for political analysis…
Probably, Quentin Tarantino would disagree with you. He would no doubt say that vulgarity can be used in an intelligent way. To each his own, I guess.
D.H. Lawrence used Anglo Saxon words very well but not really in a vulgar way. He explored the philosophical meaning of “cu…” for example, as connoting a deeper more satisfying form of intercourse, as opposed to nervous titillation, what he accused the upper classes as being preoccupation with, for example, with undergarments. Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a great work of art, although at the time it was banned in England for being profane. He used intelligence in his writing, and rewrote the manuscript several times. Most people use the “common” or “easy words” as a way to be lazy as well as to terminate any intelligent response, or deeper thought, as well as to evoke strong emotion. It is not the words themselves that are to blame but how they are used, the intent as well as the actual result. There is nothing wrong with evoking strong emotion of course, but there is a danger as well, that in so doing, there is nothing left to say. I have working class friends who are authentic in their use of common words, and it flows naturally with them. It is what makes them real, and they could not give up such language any more than they could deny who they are. But I never use the same language back to them because it would be inauthentic for me and they would have less respect for me if I were to do so. They know enough to appreciate that there is something beyond what is “all f..’d up.” What is more dubious is the intellectual who attempts to transcend the limitations of his or her social class by adopting a speech that is really inauthentic. This becomes pretentious. But my main point was that young people today adopt a very vulgar speech, in both word and tone, and that this limits their appreciation of anything intellectual, as well as failing to appreciate the more subtle emotions, to go beyond where they are, or where their friends are.
artlover, I agree with you one hundred percent, and your essay is very intelligently written. I plead mostly ignorance with respect to D.H. Lawrence. True, I have read the French translation of “Women in Love” twice and own the movie (Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson, Alan Bates). I also have one of the movie versions of Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Sylvia Kristel of Emmanuelle fame; Nicholas Clay, Shane Briant), but I have never read Sons and Lovers or The Rainbow or any of his other well known works.
I found this interesting quote on Wikipedia: “Don’t you find it a beautiful clean thought, a world empty of people, just uninterrupted grass, and a hare sitting up.” — Women in Love
Poetry is a highly intellectual art form, and some of the most engaging poems contain profanity. A well-placed “shit” can convey a very deep message. That word contains so much power because “shit” can represent so many things that are bad and ugly and destructive and evil, et cetera. When overused, however, profanity becomes generic, and ceases to mean anything important. It seems that many people swear just because it’s cool, and have even started using swear words as fillers, like “um” and “ah”.
PS: Can words really make people stoopid?
I very rarely use profanity. On the other hand, I’m not generally offended by it either–unless there is mean intent behind it, and I am the specific target of the word. Otherwise, it’s just an assemblage of letters, or a set of sound waves. Profanity is totally dependent on an understanding of the language itself, and on personal background and values. If you say the worst things possible to me in Chinese or Turkish, well, it won’t have any effect on me at all. Even if you learn the bad words in a foreign language (and I know quite a few in French), it won’t have quite the impact on you that it does on a native speaker. It’s easier for me to type merde than shit, even though they are roughly equivalent (there are positive expressions using the word merde, e.g., to wish someone good luck). This brings up an interesting thought. Viewers may be more offended than Marina would be by an English vulgarity simply because she doesn’t have a lifelong emotional connection with that word.
poetry.
art.
The guy in the video you link is very sad—obviously very depressed and very drunk–I prefer to read War and Peace
charles bukowski.
actually a very famous guy. and I like him. I like his language, how he used it.
try and read something written by him. he wrote poems as well as novels.
How about the word, Giraffe?
I think you’re sticking your neck out on that one….
Dear HotForWords, I have a word request to make. Do you think you can find the origins of the verb ‘to be’? And what about all the different changes into it, eg. I am…You are…He/She/It is…I was…You were…etc. Could the simplest verb on the English language have the most complicated origins? That’s for you to find out :D
Other than that.. I would just like to add that you are officially one of the hottest girls I have seen on youtube…*sighs* I wish I had a teacher just like you…
Well I speak dutch and I don’t believe it’s number 3…
anyway.
I just wish I was a pearl necklace :mrgreen:
My Favorite Teacher–The word ‘beard’ has some interesting meanings–it might be an interesting search for you.
In regard to ‘slang words’ you don’t need to use them. Your use of language is just fine–as you are.
not exactly a word request but.. would it be possible for you to add the soundtracks you are using on your download page? :)
I think you have a heavenly body and might like to explain the word SYZYGY to others…. muuaaaah :* :D
I dont think you should degrade yourself to using those slang words. I think you are far to intelligent to use them! Smart people like yourself find better words to use. Anyways i got a word for ya. Where did the word “duh” come from?
“duh” is a better word? :mrgreen:
Here is a word that you may want to try next. Ubiquitous. After looking through your list, I found that you were missing a word that started with the letter “U” so give it a shot.
Marina, use all the slang you need – it suits your philologistism perfectly. In the meantime, I confess I’m somewhat of a zythologist. If you’re up for a fun challenge, do explain the origin of zythologist – it’s not in the dictionary despite being an english word – as google makes quite obvious.
Want to try, Marina?
That’s a crazy! Would you tell a doctor it’s inappropriate to discuss sexually transmitted diseases? A philologist should be expected to discuss all elements of language. I’ve learned much from your video’s and would hate to think you avoid certain words because some might find them taboo.
Unless of course you’d be more comfortable if I came to your home to disucss these words. :razz:
Ok.. round robin at my house tonight at six pm sharp! See you then :razz: (probably not an appropriate use of that phrase.. I just wanted to use it)
i think you just stimulated the imagination of a lot of people with that comment of yours Marina heh. :lol:
Hmmm… so where does the phrase “round robin” come from? And please, use as many curse words as possible in your explanation. :wink:
Holy (*@ѳ#!©πЮ&#+!, Batman! :roll:
umm, no, my bad … it’s alright. lol. I’ll go get some coffee … damn …
Now you made me kill the plugin.. should I use it or not? What do you think aLx?
no, it works. I just clicked on it before those three minutes were over. ummm … I don’t know. I don’t know if people want to change things within three minutes. if it was like half an hour, I’d say that some people would use it. so … you can use it. hehe. won’t make a big difference I guess. I hope that made sense. oO
Hi Marina,
There was a moment there when I thought it was a good idea to be able to edit a prior comment, too. I made the mistake of failing to cancel a reply after clicking on the “respond” button and then changing my mind about it and so the next response I typed (regarding someone else’s comment) flowed into the wrong statement box, thus rendering it absolutely nonsensical. D’OH!!!
Lesson learned. At this point I believe that the best strategy is to always JUST PROOF YOUR WORK before you submit it, and also to remember to back all the way out of a reply by using the cancel key if you change your mind.
I’ll try it out for a little while.. I didn’t want to go to long.. the 1/2 hour thing could allow people to pst something then change it after they get harassed! This way you can fix an easy mistake…
I don’t know.. will just try it out.. see if it works…
this is what I’m talking about. that’s why I said I don’t like the edit thing. three minutes are okay, yeah, maybe two. :X
just not too long. :)
I’ll make it 2.. 3 seems REALLY long.. especially when you’re sitting there watching it!
I think allowing people to edit their comments is a BAD idea.
Mistakes in comments are just part of life and it reveals a little bit about the commenter… If they choose to proofread etc.
I think even a 2 or 3 minute edit window is just opening up a messy can of worms.
I’ve turned off editing comments.. I prefer the “rawness” of the mistakes :-)
\o/
The right decision. :!:
But, I expected no less from Marina. :grin:
aLx,
I made the time to edit your comments 3 minutes… that way people cannot really change their opinion too much after the fact. I can always kill it later if it doesn’t work out.
Hello Hot For Words –
I have really enjoyed your site. It is most useful. My boss turned me on to your site and together we feel that we have greatly increased our knowledge. That being said, we looked into your definition of butterfly and found this information: “Some sources have erroneously suggested that the excrement of butterflies is thought to resemble butter. The problem with this, of course, is that other than to void excess water, butterflies do not excrete! ” What is your take on this comment?? Of course, we would believe you over any other message board. We eagerly await your response -
I disagree with that comment… people are referencing one source that states that butterflies do not excrete waste, but I have found other sources that indicate that they do.
But, even if we find that they don’t excrete waste, there still was a Dutch word that was created to describe the waste from these flies.. so in that case, people may have been confusing some residue left behind by these flies as their excrement and therefore called the flies by that name.
So in either case, I still opt for Wedgwood’s explanation.. how else do you account for the existence of that word boterschijte?
is this about the existence of the word boterschijte(r) or about the origin of “butterfly”. I’m confused.
I a, trying to justify the existence of the word boterschijte(r). Do you have an explanation aLx?
well …
grimm’s lists nld. “kapel” and “vlinder”. origin of “kapel” unknown.
the dutch word for “butterfly” is “vlinder”.
there are lots and lots of dialect names for “vlinder” in dutch.
(–> here’s a list.)
the butter shit(ter) is just one of them. there is no reason to assume that “butterfly” comes from “boterschijte(r)”. there’s also words like “botervogel en botervleugel”. we got the butter bird/fly right there.
why would the shit thing be the origin of engl. “butterfly” if there are a lot of words way closer to it? it sounds cool but not too plausible.
anyway, the boterschijte(r) exists. dialects, you know. difficult thing.
maybe we should just say, we don’t know.
at that dutch site I linked:
(on “boterschijt(er)): “In dat geval is er volksfantasie aan het werk geweest die oude, ondoorzichtig geworden woorden verhaspelde tot benamingen die de taalkundigen nu voor raadsels plaatsen.”
that should roughly translate as:
in this case a folk tale (belief? etymology?) had been at work which obscured the old words that had become increasingly opaque, until (so that?) linguists were completely mystified.
so, bottom line is, they don’t know.
and, I’m german, I don’t speak dutch. it’s like a pole trying to translate a russian or a czech text or something.
so, maybe some dutch dude can help me out here.
no, wait …
“… until the names / notions / denotations mystified the linguists.”
something like that.
Makes sense to me Hot – I think that you are correct. Thanks for the lesson.
First, slang is linguistic, so use it.
Second, I have a question about the phrase “…to boot.” As in, “Marina is smart, funny, & sexy to boot.” Origin, please?
hi marina.can you find out about an instuments origin?can you find the origin of guitar?
:razz:
Hi ! I wanted to request a word, I was wondering how they came about the word “orange”, as in the fruit… is there more to it than just simply the color… I was just curious. K, thank you.
:???:
My request is Bells and Whistles.
:smile: titillate :oops:
Nice vid. Loved the pearl necklace. :grin: Swear as much as you like. It’s a spoken word and people understand the meaning, there fore it’s part of the language and should be part of the lesson. It’s more real that way.
Any idea of to the origin of the word “Chagrin”? As in “I learned the lesson the hard way, much to my chagrin.”
Thanks
Peace Love
ArchbishopBilly
My English dictionary lists chagrin as coming from the French, which it says means sad. I speak French and that is pretty accurate in terms of the French meaning, though slightly oversimplified. Anyway, my Petit Robert says that chagrin was coined in the 14th Century, and that it MAY come from chat + grigner. Chat means cat–easy enough. As for grigner, I could find no English translation. The word is defined in French as meaning to fold or gather into a pucker (as in the fold atop French bread, or as in the puckering of our forehead when we frown). This puckering comes from the notion of puckering one’s lips and showing one’s teeth, according to the dictionary.
The entry for French seakers: Grigner, n.f. (1180, <>; frq. grÎnan). Techn. (fin XIXe). Faire des plis, des fronces (défaut). Ėtoffe, couture qui grigne.
BTW, frq. refers to francique (language). From grigner, the French get grigne, or la fente que le Boulanger fait sur le pain (the split that a baker puts in the bread). They also get the verb grignoter, whose most common meaning in everyday use is to nibble (as in bread). Furthermore, they get grignon, which is the crusty part of the most baked side of the bread.
There is another meaning of chagrin, not related to the first meaning: Chagrin is an animal hide (sagrin, 1606; from the Turkish word sâgri), as in the Balzac novel, “La peau de chagrin,” about an animal skin that shrinks with each act of immorality. I don’t recall which animal it was in the novel, which I’ve read more than once, but the French dictionary says it would be the untanned grainy leather ofa goat, sheep, or wild ass. I would hazard a guess and say that in the novel, the skin is from an Asian goat of some kind. This version of chagrin gave us the English word shagreen, where the spelling approximates the pronunciation of the French word. Shagreen is defined as “untanned leather covered with small round granulations and usually dyed green.” Green?
Anyway, etymology gets very complicated at times!!!!
I think that you could spend a lot of time on other words as far as analysis of ‘offensive’ words is concerned, but if it pertains to the lesson at hand, such as butterfly, then it is permissible. There is a difference between doing it from a professional standpoint and doing it for ‘shock value’.
Any chance of getting an ‘edit’ button added? I reread my post and thought ‘You can construct sentences better than that!!!!’, but it was too late to make an edit…..
I’m trying to figure out a way to add an edit button. I am using a threaded comment thing that emails you when someone replies to your comment, that I think is VERY IMPORTANT.. but it’s written by a Chinese guy and I don’t know how to ask him to add it!! :sad:
I think I added the ability to edit your comments.. let me know if it works!
no, I don’t like edit buttons. some people will change their postings and then be like “this is not what I said”. no. this sucks.
yeah, it works. :((
edit, edit …
lol. what’s with the color?
ah, never mind.
aLx has a very legit point here. As does evilleramsfan.
Having pressed the submit button as my personal critic says “Wait hold the presses!” Oops!!! too late!. And I have posted a stupid thing to say once again.
But once a comment has been made on one’s submitted comment, what can I say other than I should just be more careful of what I put into a comment?
Oh,
Great video. I also like the subtle jab at Youtube for its somewhat uninspired view of censorship.
As for a word request… I was wondering if you may be able to look into the word “dilettante” for me? My roomate always calls me that, but only because he had heard the word from a movie. He has absolutely no clue what it means, and I have only a slight understanding of it.
quaint
I really get quite confused with the prefix “meta”. Why does that mean after (metaphysics) and self-referential (metalanguage, metaphor) at the same time?
Thanks for your explanation, Prospero….
You are not 2demanding at all. Good question. Another example would be, I never meta person I didn’t like. I think that’s a paraphrase of a Will Rogers statement, even though it’s really just one phrase, not a pair of them.
Now that reminds me of the time my friend was taken downtown for being in possession of paraphernalia. But she beat the rap because she really only had one phenalia in her possession at the time.
:mrgreen:
Excellent video Marina, very funny:)
I got this e mail recently. Someone in Brussels is really taking the piss!!!
EU Directive No. 456179
In order to meet the conditions for joining the Single European
currency, all citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland must be made aware that the phrase ‘Spending a
penny’ is not to be used after 31st March 2008.
From this date, the correct terminology will be: ‘Euronating’.
:???:
Nice :-) Did you see my article where the official language used in Europe will also be made easier?
http://www.hotforwords.com/2008/01/27/important-announcement/
:smile:
LOL :) Yes, I have seen it. I sent it you! :lol:
Euro so funny, matalexwolf!!!! :grin:
I don’t know if you enjoy “investigating” sayings, but i was curious where the saying “How do you like dem apples?” came from. Also I was curious about the origin of the word “Exile.”
I enjoy these word games, especially the ones where you have to guess the word!
Actually, my initials are “dem” (notice how they also appear in my username, liviDEMerald?). Totally irrelevant to your request, I know. . . . :???:
Is “shit” really a “slang” word? When in reference to excrement and defecation, it is considered vulgar, but not necessarily “slang.” I could be wrong here, but at dictionary.com the slang definitions of “shit” are its uses in calling something worthless, or a pretense or something like that. Or crummy person can, in slang terms, be a “shit.” Or, just someone’s stuff can be called “shit” – like, “hold on, let me get my shit out of the car first.” But, when we talk about taking a shit (or is it leaving one? Hmmm…) then that is not slang at all, just vulgar.
Now, slang for shit would be like, “drop a deuce” or “back the big brown motor home out of the garage.” You know – “pitch a loaf,” or “drop the kids off at the pool” or “drop logs.” Those are slang terms, in my view, similar to “number two” or “poo.”
We can probably have a whole separate discussion board for slang terms meaning “shit.”
I found this really interesting article on the word shit. Its accually an abrrivation of Ship High In Transit or S.H.I.T. When ships transported fertilizer they had to stamp the crats with S.H.I.T because they needed to keep fertilizer in fresh air to avoid a build up in methane gas.
So in my opinion i think shit is a slang word
That is an urban legend…..
Oh i just googled it and so it is. We learn something new every day. Thank you for clarifying that for me.
Great comment, Prospero! I especially like the garage and pool metaphors. Never heard those before. You forgot “lay some cable” though.
There’s one thing I noticed however (and please correct me if it was just a typo): I believe the correct expression is “pinch a loaf” not “pitch a loaf” as in testing a loaf of bread’s freshness level by giving each one a little squeeze to see if it’s hard and stale or soft and spongy before selecting one for purchase.
This phrase is somewhat archaic since the advent of plastic baggged, pre-sliced bread, so not too many grocery shoppers even try this test anymore. You can better understand the significance if you check the loaves of French bread (unsliced, the ones in the open paper wrappers) next time you visit the supermarket, especially if you compare one brand to another, since it is highly unlikely that two brands from different bakeries will ever have the exact same freshness level. Go ahead, pinch a loaf. Prove me wrong.
Butt (and i use the word roundly) the phrase applies in a figurative way to the act of defecation in that each time you perform this physiological function, whether you’re a bat, a beagle, or a brontosaurus, you have to, in essence, “pinch it off” at the end. That’s the real scientific reason why turds are always tapered at the ends like a fine cigar (so your asshole doesn’t slam shut).
Okay, okay. Sorry. Once I get started, it’s hard to stop. My bad.
No, no, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong,pennsyltucky9. All wrong. All wrong. Brontosaurus was officially changed to apatosaurus! :mrgreen:
oh, fuck.
is this gonna turn into another thread about slang words?
Is there a difference between “slang” and “vulgar.” Perhaps we are not addressing the right problem. According to dictionary.com, “fuck” is vulgar, but not necessarily “slang.” It’s primary definition (sexual intercourse) is vulgar but not slang. It’s other definitions, like calling someone a stupid fuck, are slang, as are “fuck you” and “fuck it.” But, apparently, “let’s fuck” is not slang, it is merely vulgar.
yeah, I thought about that, too.
basically, I agree, slang != vulgar.
someone already posted a link to grimm’s dictionary which is a pretty reliable source for etymologies and the like.
there’re many names for “butterfly”.
one of them is “raupenscheiszer” which translates as “catepillar shitter”. so, the shitting part doesn’t necessarily have to do with its excrement, I guess.
like I said before, they list many names. some of them are:
may bird, summer bird, day bird, butter fly, slush/cream licker, butter licker, whey thief, whey magician.
they say that the second part (thief, fly, bird ..) was reinterpreted to thief due to an old popular belief that witches disguise at butterflies and make milk and butter go bad.
they also state that later on the name “butterfly” refers mainly to a brimstone butterfly (its color).
note that “butterfly” in german is “schmetterling”. “schmettern” (verb) means to dash (also, to throw, in a sense). grimm’s also says that “schmetterling” maybe comes from the notion that “it throws (dashes) or puts its egs on all kinds of green stuff”.
(–> link.)
so, it’s actually a dasher, a thrower (“schmetter-” + “-ling”):
(“Nouns formed from nouns with ling denote people (often with a negative connotation, e.g. Schreiberling), animals and plants (especially mushrooms, e.g. Tintling), and a few other things (e.g. Fingerling).”
(–> link.)
on “caterpillar shitter”.
not sure if its meaning is supposed to be “it shits caterpillars” (or the egs) or “the caterpillar shits”. intuitively, I’d go with the first one, though, because the second meaning would have been more correctly expressed by “scheiszraupe” (shit(ting) caterpillar).
anyway. there’s a shit thing. ;))
Maybe due to the caterpillar cocoon looking somewhat like shit and being at the location of where the caterpillar was formerly….the uneducated thought it was a leftover piece of caterpillar shit. Then they saw this insect pop out of it later….and the rest is history…..
edit #2:
“Nouns formed from verbs with ling denote people as well as animals and plants.”
it’s V + N, not N + N.
YAY THANKS MARINA I WAS RIGHT! :smile:
Butter shit!
I think the use of slang word should be used because saying “shit” sounds better and attracts viewers.
While “excrements” is boring and its too formal.
As for your question, slang words are now most commonly accepted by everyone. that why i listen and watch you and read this website http://www.UrbanDictionary.com and i always say cussing is allowed. that’s why the FCC doesn’t regulate the internet. I also wanted to mentioned that my name is the word of the day. http://www.urbandictionary.com/daily.php. Williams – Money. Derives from the word “bills” used to describe paper currency.
Just picked up some fresh williams from the bank.
Dude I can’t go to a strip club tonight, I’m running low on williams.
My wallet is bursting with some serious williams.
Howsabout “hots” as in “I’ve got the hots for you!”?
Not literally, Marina–I’ve just heard other people use that phrase. I see nothing whatsoever about you to get hot over. :shock: NOT!!!
James in Nashville
P.S.: See my cute, funny and semi-witty site:
The Poodle Zombie Zone
By the way, you should say whatever you want to say. The only thing that bugs me about profanity is when a grown person says something for the mere fact of saying it. For example, when people post something like, “I’ve always wondered about the word ‘doody’” or “tell me about the word ‘pussy’” – as if it’s like “ha ha – I said dirty word – he he he ha ha ha.”
It’s not the word that’s offensive, though, it’s the idiotic person posting it. It’s the difference between George Carlin’s “7 words” skit (funny/awesome) and some 10 year old shouting “poop!” (childish and stipid).
I think, though, I find more offensive the people who all of sudden start writing in a kind of broken Shakespearean jibberenglish on this website. You know, the ones who type, “Alas, me lady, methinks thou shouldst talk about the word ‘booby’!” Just a pet peeve though…..
That sounds more like “pirate” then it does Shakespeare!!
I think Shakespearean and pirate lingo are quite similar. If you add an “aargh” to most Shakespeare lines, and pronounce the lines in a gravelly way with a lot “oi” sounds, you’ll sound like a pirate. :lol:
Perhaps Johnny Depp should start doing Shakespeare!!! :mrgreen:
First of all, Johnny Depp cant’ do Shakespeare because the world could not handle that much awesome.
As for Marina using profanity or slang, I think if she’s saying it just to say it, then no she shouldn’t. But, like the word boterschijte and therefore shit, it’s fine if that’s the literal meaning of boterschijte Like on her second Maxim show she discussed the orgin of the word fuck. If she did a YouTube video of the word fuck, it would be perfectly fine for her to say it, because she’s teaching about the word and not all “hahahaha I can say fuck, Maxim is allows profanity! hahahaha fuck fuck fuck ahhaaha”. However, I do feel there’s no need to use profanity unless the profanity is the appropriate to or is the subject.
All things are permissible but not all things are beneficial!!
Mark
well if it is comfortable for you to use slangs then go ahead.
i dont mind.haha.
your student.again
Marina!
Great video! You looked very “kempt,” “savory” and “shevelled” as always! You are such a “descript” person, always in complete “array.”
I see your evil twin is back. Calling her an evil twin is certainly a perfect “nomer.” She seems so “flappable,” getting upset so quickly with you and all. I can tell she can be a little “defatigable.”
You were very “commital” about your final answer on the butterfly issue. Are you really so sure?
Anyway, I’m not sure if I’m saying this right, since it’s all “new hat” to me. But, I send you my love again – please “requite” it, Marina.
Ha!
:-)
I am preparing for the onslaught of people who are going to say that butterflies don’t excrete! :eek:
In this “promptu” post, and after “terminable” delay, I will assist you in “abusing” those people of the notion that butterflies excrete. Well, “defecate” is probably a better word. They do – usually about weekly. Any animal (insects are animal) that eats has to get rid of waste. Butterflies are no exception. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/1996/2/lepidopteransallure.cfm
I hope you agree that I’m just acting here with “mitigated gall.” The posters here are generally a “ruly” mob, and are quite “petuous,” so I feel I will still be “persona grata” after this post.
English just gets weirder and weirder the more one looks at it.
I mean, how many times have we referred to someone having “unmitigated gall.” Yet, can someone have “mitigated gall.” Yes, that person has the “gall” to do that, but heck, at least their gall is mitigated and not unmitigated, right?
And, if I plan ahead to send you a gift, am I acting “pomptu” instead of “impromptu?”
Is a mob that is rather calm and orderly considered a “ruly mob?” Or, are mobs, by definition, “unruly” and hence “unruly mob” is redundant?
If your passion for me is on the low end, is it “bridled?” Sounds interesting on a couple of different levels!
If you go home early, are you going home at a “godly hour?” If you prove something instead of disprove it, do you “bunk” the myth instead of “debunking” it?
If I write a speech, instead of come up with it on the spot, is it “on the cuff” instead of “off the cuff?”
If you can be contacted easily, are you “communicado” instead of “incommunicado?”
I never realized until now how much of this stuff exists in the English language.
Interesting…. well, to me, anyway…
Interesting to me, too, prospero811. I love your contributions.
Ha yeah those are interesting observations!
I’m First WOOHOO
:mrgreen:
well i didnt expect the answer to be theory number 3.really interesting.great job teacher.
I guessed right, but only because I surmised that Marina would not use a “bad word” gratuitously. :cool: