Originally posted by pill_popping_babe:
[QB]Some questions to think about...
*Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
The 'Zero' fighter plane used largely in the kamikaze attacks on the US navy had notoriously low canopys with quite a number of edges on them. The helmet was to stop them from knocking themselves unconcious on the plane before the could complete their mission.
* Why is there no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburger, and no pine or apple in pineapple?
It's not about what's in it, it's the origin of the word. Eggplant because it looks like an egg, hamburger because it is descended from a sandwich popular in Hamburg (ich bin ein berliner) and the word pineapple comes from the Spanish "pina," meaning pine cone. Pineapples are still known to Latin Americans as pina
*Why is that when the stars are out they're visible, but when the lights are out, they're invisible?
Differing usage of the word out. Lights out, being extinguished, stars out being out in the open. This is possibly because stars are not luminous, therefore cannot be extinguished, or put out.
*Why do they call it a TV set when you only get one?
This is actually because televisions in the beginning came with radios, and often phonograms as well. This would be the whole 'set' and because television was the new technology it came to be known as the TV set.
* Why if a person who plays the piano is called a pianist, isn't a person that drivesa racing car a racist?
* Why does a house burn up as it burns down?
The fire burns up, the actual house goes down.
* Why can you make ammends, but not one ammend?
You can, you amend something, therefore you have made amends. (By the way, what site did you copy this from, there is only 1 m in amend.)
* Why if people from Poland are called poles, aren't people from Holland called Holes?
Because they are Dutch.
*Why do you recite at a play, but play at a recital?
This is merely your conception. A recital is the act of reading or reciting in a public performance, therefore at a play and recital you are both playing and reciting.
*Why are they called apartments when they're all stuck together?
This comes from the British use of the word, where an apartment was a suite of rooms within a larger building set aside for a particular purpose or person.
* Why do we wait until a pig is dead to cure it?
To cure, is to restoration or prevention of a harmful state, thereby we cure ourselves to restore to our healthy state. We are not curing the pig, but the meat, preserving it's current state.
*Why do you fill in a form by filling it out?
You don't. You fill in a form, by filling it in, you fill out a form by filling it out. Once again, it's your perception.
*Why do overlook and oversee mean different things?
Because to look and to see mean different things...
* Why is the human race called a race - who is going to win?
Because it's a homonym.
* Why is it called a building when it's already built?
I think you're confusing nouns with verbs.
* Why does an alarm go off by going on?
Off: So as to be no longer continuing, operating, or functioning. When an alarm is on, it is activated, or armed. When it is set off, it is no longer in that state.
*Why do they sterilise needles for lethal injections?
To prevent against infection.
*Why isn't phonetic spelt the way it sounds?
It's origina can be sourced to the new Latin phonticus, meaning representing speech sounds.
* Why can't women put on mascara with their mouths closed?!
They can, however, the opening of the mouth stretches the skin around the eyes, making the actual eyelash further away from the brow or cheek.
* Why is abbreviated such a long word?
It's origins are from Late Latin abbrevire, which means to shorten
* Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
A broker is one who acts as an agent for others, in this case, investing money. The word comes from Anglo-Norman brocour, which means ceremonial gift at conclusion of business deal. The word history gives a good clue as to where this all fits in: Giving gifts to one's broker might be justifiable from an etymological point of view because the word broker may be connected through its Anglo-Norman source, brocour, abrocour, with Spanish alboroque, meaning “ceremony or ceremonial gift after the conclusion of a business deal.” If this connection does exist, “business deal” is the notion shared by the Spanish and Anglo-Norman words because brocour referred to the middleman in transactions. The English word broker is first found in Middle English in 1355, several centuries before we find instances of its familiar compounds pawnbroker, first recorded in 1687, and stockbroker, first recorded in 1706.
*Why isn't there mouse flavoured cat food?
Scientific research by cat food companies has concluded that cats have very little interest in the actual taste of mouse. They catch mice more for the "sport" of the hunt.
*Why is a boxing ring a square shape?
The square shape is to provide an even arena to fight in, giving neither fighter the advantage due to the shape of the arena. Ring, although most commonly used to describe a circular shape, can also be used to describe an arena.
* Why do fat chance and slim chance meant the same thing?
Slim chance is literal, fat chance is sarcastic.
*Why does rush hour have the slowest traffic?
Two meanings of the word rush are helpful here. Firstly an anxious and eager movement to get to or from a place and secondly A sudden attack; an onslaught. Rush hour isn't so much refering to the pace, but the volume and attitude of those involved.
* Why do flammable and inflammable mean the same thing?
The answer lies in the etymology of the word. You see, there are two Latin prefixes, both spelled in, and they have quite different effects on the words to which they are attached. All the above examples derive from the in which is synonomous with the Greek a and the Germanic un, meaning not, without or lacking.
Inflammable is derived from the in meaning in, on, into, towards or within. In French, this prefix evolved into en, and inflammable comes from the Old French word enflammer, which further derives from this second Latin prefix in plus flamma, meaning flame. Flammable is a later invention, created exactly because inflammable can easily be mistaken for a negative. The true opposite of inflammable is non-flammable.
*Who do doctors called what they do "practise"?
Please, this is Aus social. I would assume that all doctors in this country actually practice not practise. Next you'll be asking what color their coats are. Anyhoo, once again this is a homonym, meaning both to rehearse and to carry out.
*Why are they called stands when they're made for sitting?
Nice to see you finishing with another homonym.
Those reading the thread about english being a funny language may like all this. As it well demonstrates the idiosynchrasis of the English language, especially the homonyms, and also of slang become accepted words.
[ 24 November 2002: Message edited by: anfalicious ]
