Have you ever sat and pondered for awhile just who made up some of the words we use? I mean there are definitely some slang words that come from pop culture that can pretty easily be traced back. I asked my son yesterday if his brother was downstairs...his response..."No, he dipped". He did what? "He dipped". I googled it. It means he left. That would have been difficult to say I guess.
There are more words though that I wonder about...tons of them actually. Like for instance, who sat for awhile staring at a majestic wonder clad with feathers doing aerial acrobatics, tapped whoever they were with, pointed and said... "Bird". Why did that word get accepted? Who made that guy right...and why bird? Did it just spread like wildfire?! Hey Gronk figure it out...it Bird!!! Just say that word to yourself...its preposterous! Don't even get me started with Platypus.
There are also then the bad words...the curse words. Once again, who gave the rubber stamp of approval that these words were indeed unacceptable words to use in everyday conversation and should only be used by English speaking fathers all over the world when trying to put Ikea furniture together or to emphasize specifically that someone should leave. I think any word can be implied a bad word...our youngest son cursed like a trooper at two years old, well at least I am sure he thought he did. He would say "Awe Pickles!" with mischief in his eyes. We would act shocked then laugh, and with the reaction he sought he would continue. Friggin Pickles.
Apparently there are dictionaries available of etymology...(Pro tip - never use a big word when you can use a diminutive one instead). Etymology, I have learned, is the history of a linguistic form. I'm not sure who was around at the time "Bird" was created...but apparently they can trace things like that back and accept it as accurate.
Then we get into completely different languages, and again one must wonder who got to pick each word for them? I can walk through parts of Quebec and let every curse word I know fly out of my mouth in a grocery store line without a single head turning other than to wonder who the English guy is in town. I witnessed it first hand. I was in a place called Rouyn-Noranda for a major junior hockey game we were about to play. The first song in the warm up? DMX - "Up in Here". I forewarn you, if you look it up and haven't heard it before please put earphones in and have a glass of holy water at the ready.
Great Segway...holy water brings me to the next point. En Francais, it is reprehensible to speak out against the Church. Those are where the curse words come from in Quebec. Those words meant nothing to my good friend who was with me at the grocery store in Rimouski. He had no ability to speak French but learned to say the curse words improperly but with effect. The kind old lady at customer service rang in his purchase, to which he was surprised at the total and said "Madame...Tabranack". That isn't the way it is spelled, nor is it the way that it is pronounced; but the kind old lady knew the meaning and shook her head right away shaming him "Oh monsieur, non - non". He would never have dropped the F Bomb, but this word was meaningless to him and found it especially humorous quite similar to a two year old saying pickles.
I guess when you think of it; and you likely shouldn't for too long or you may end up writing a ridiculous blog, the old "sticks and stones" adage really is true! The pen is mightier than the sword! Maybe that's why the police in England don't have guns...stop thief...or I'll make up a terrible word that will be accepted by the world and it will be about you!
It's a little perplexing if you think about each one. That's what's happening now as I type. Every. Single. Word. Is. Making. Me. Wonder. Its. Origin. That's too much info for me, so for now I am just going to accept with the rest of the population the etymology that a bird is indeed a bird and go enjoy the rest of my coffee. Till next time...I gotta dip.