Wordy Blog Archive 2013-12
and, of course, the word pork should be ban'd. It's called pig meat.
Q: what did you eat for dinner?
A: i had pig flesh.
and thus the world has a tidbit more of unwavering truth.
[etymology of pork https://www.etymonline.com/word/pork] «c.1300 (early 13c. in surname Porkuiller), “flesh of a pig as food,” from Old French porc “pig, swine, boar,” and directly from Latin porcus “pig, tame swine,” from PIE *porko- “young swine” (cf. Umbrian purka; Old Church Slavonic prase “young pig;” Lithuanian parsas “pig;” and Old English fearh, Middle Dutch varken, both from Proto-Germanic *farhaz).»
Tilting at windmills is an English idiom which means attacking imaginary enemies. The word “tilt”, in this context, comes from jousting.
The phrase is sometimes used to describe confrontations where adversaries are incorrectly perceived, or to courses of action that are based on misinterpreted or misapplied heroic, romantic, or idealistic justifications. It may also connote an importune, unfounded and vain effort against confabulated adversaries for a vain goal.
Why, there they are, both baked in this pie, Whereof their mother daintily hath fed, Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred. -- “Titus Andronicus” Act 5 Scene 3
Google defines “madcap” as
- amusingly eccentric.
- an eccentric person.
what kinda diluted milk is that?
my fav dict, the American Heritage, gives
“Behaving or acting impulsively or rashly; wild.”
now, that's respect to language.
[etymology of madcap https://www.etymonline.com/word/madcap] «1580s, noun and adjective, from mad (adj.) + cap, used here figuratively for “head.” Related: Madcappery.»