Search found 2637 matches
- Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:17 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: America and American
- Replies: 47
- Views: 15401
America and American
Neil How zit goin, eh? I guess in the broader sense we are all North, South or Central Americans. I think your question comes from the fact that ,up here anyway, "American" is used exclusively to refer to someone from "The States" ( I'm not even sure if the term "The States" is OK, anymore). While w...
- Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:42 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: Up Mike's?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 3652
Up Mike's?
Is anyone familiar with the phrase "up Mike's"? I'm pretty sure I have a grasp of what it means but I wonder how it started. I heard it said,often,in the "Maritimes"(Canadian for Nova Scotia, P.E.I., and New Brunswick). I suspect it has a UK origin,as that area is heavily influenced by Scottish, Eng...
- Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:22 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: burning a CD
- Replies: 12
- Views: 4430
burning a CD
Curious. I had always thought, without giving it much thought, that the word carried a somewhat criminal slant to it. "Burn" is sometimes used, in my circles,to mean steal. If you go to a peer to peer site and download someone elses material, then copy it to a disc without their permission,you have ...
- Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:12 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: person of Chinese descent
- Replies: 105
- Views: 33962
person of Chinese descent
Wow! 50 points for everyone (almost everyone). Somewhere around the second page, I was beginning to regret having ever stirred this pot. In the end, I wound up with many more answers and a few more questions than I could have wished for. There's so much food for thought that I fear that some of it m...
- Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:49 am
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: I couldn't care less / I could care less
- Replies: 18
- Views: 6876
I couldn't care less / I could care less
I think Isaac needed to get out more often.
- Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:00 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: I couldn't care less / I could care less
- Replies: 18
- Views: 6876
I couldn't care less / I could care less
"Could/couldn't care less" is used interchangeably around here. The split seems to be around 50-50. The explanation I was given was not mentioned in this thread. I'm not surprised. I was talking about this with two friends, both of whom "could" while I "couldn't". The first fella explained. "It's sa...
- Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:39 am
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: Words of Scots, Pictish and Celtic origin
- Replies: 9
- Views: 4216
Words of Scots, Pictish and Celtic origin
Hey Wiz
July 1st. It's our birthday. I won't reveal how old we are. Bring beer.
July 1st. It's our birthday. I won't reveal how old we are. Bring beer.
- Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:36 am
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: railroad handcar
- Replies: 8
- Views: 4192
railroad handcar
Hand cars were later replaced with the railroad Velocipede ( what a splendid word! I'll be keeping that one in my pocket for later use). It looked like a bicycle that ran on one rail and had a third stabilizing wheel that ran on the opposing rail. Not the old three wheeled bike,again? Perhaps, a lit...
- Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:18 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: railroad handcar
- Replies: 8
- Views: 4192
railroad handcar
I'm not being a smart ass. We always called them exactly what you described them as. Pumper cars.
- Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:30 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: person of Chinese descent
- Replies: 105
- Views: 33962
person of Chinese descent
Can't help myself. Sometimes I just get a little mushy.
- Fri Jan 26, 2007 6:36 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: person of Chinese descent
- Replies: 105
- Views: 33962
person of Chinese descent
Are we polarized? Now you're making me blubber
- Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:31 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: person of Chinese descent
- Replies: 105
- Views: 33962
person of Chinese descent
No mens rea? No crime (or,at least, a much lesser one). Anyone want a tort?
- Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:02 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: person of Chinese descent
- Replies: 105
- Views: 33962
person of Chinese descent
Thanks for yor help, everyone. If a word or phrase is not, in and of itself,offensive it only becomes a slur when used in that way. I did not feel the urge to rush to the aid of some of my fellow countrymen when I recently read them being referred to as Eskimos by several people in a recent post. I ...
- Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:29 am
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: person of Chinese descent
- Replies: 105
- Views: 33962
person of Chinese descent
Why ask why,indeed. I can't just accept everything as it seems. Point taken on my examples,though. You are correct. Even yet, Walesman dosen't seem much of an insult either. Really, it was an honest question. I know it doesn't "seem" an appropriate term and I hadn't intended on using it. Maybe it wa...
- Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:02 am
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: fold twofold threefold
- Replies: 9
- Views: 4537
fold twofold threefold
Too right, James. I miter known someone would point that out.