The Briefing Room

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: jmyrlefuller on February 21, 2022, 02:53:18 am

Title: 12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms
Post by: jmyrlefuller on February 21, 2022, 02:53:18 am
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/12-old-words-that-survived-by-getting-fossilized-in-idioms

1. Wend
2. (Just) Deserts
3. Eke (out)
4. Sleight (of hand)
5. (by) Dint of...
6. (run) Roughshod
7. (to and) Fro
8. Hue (and cry)
9. Kith (and kin)
10. (in a) Lurch
11. (taking) Umbrage
12. (short) Shrift

Full descriptions and etymologies in the link
Title: Re: 12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms
Post by: Hoodat on February 21, 2022, 04:49:49 am
7.  (https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-smlalCHoqQ/hqdefault.jpg)


8.  (http://cdn.ilovefreesoftware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pixie-Color-Picker.png)


11.  (https://en.citizendium.org/images/c/c8/Lurch%2C_Addams_Family.jpg)
Title: Re: 12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 21, 2022, 03:32:39 pm
Just Deserts:

(https://daniellejoy.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/arid-barren-desert-1731660-min-1-1-290x435.jpg)  (http://everythingaboutdeserts.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/7/5/19757833/419912434.jpg)

Just Desserts:

(https://chasingabetterlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/dessert.jpg)
Title: Re: 12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms
Post by: Kamaji on February 21, 2022, 03:36:09 pm
Quote from: Cyber Liberty on February 21, 2022, 03:32:39 pm
Just Deserts:

(https://daniellejoy.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/arid-barren-desert-1731660-min-1-1-290x435.jpg)  (http://everythingaboutdeserts.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/7/5/19757833/419912434.jpg)

Just Desserts:

(https://chasingabetterlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/dessert.jpg)


I wondered about that, too.  From the article:

Quote
2. Deserts
The desert from the phrase "just deserts" is not the dry and sandy kind, nor the sweet post-dinner kind. It comes from an Old French word for deserve, and it was used in English from the 13th century to mean "that which is deserved." When you get your just deserts, you get your due. In some cases, that may mean you also get dessert, a word that comes from a later French borrowing.
Title: Re: 12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 21, 2022, 03:49:38 pm
Quote from: Kamaji on February 21, 2022, 03:36:09 pm

I wondered about that, too.  From the article:

:thumbsup:
Title: Re: 12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms
Post by: roamer_1 on February 21, 2022, 05:39:09 pm
Several of those words are still in my active lexicon.

Except 'fro' don't count... And no, I am not talking about an afro.... A fro is a tool used to make shingles or otherwise split wood in a controlled fashion. Understanding the phrase 'to and fro', I often wondered if it was based upon the tool called fro, as when making shingles, one flops the tool back and forth upon the round, because that tends to provide an evenness to the shingles.

A fro is a favored tool around here.