Probably no other language has as
many strange, quirky and funny words as English. This is good news for those who like a laugh because there are so many possibilities for a joke.
Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than
us.
Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
Outtakes of Funny English Words
»
Following a query from Moray, further research by Will indicates these
statements may not tell the whole truth.
French fries do not originate in France.
Fries may well have originated in 19th century France. However, as with
so many "inventions" / "discoveries" others make claims as well. Belgium has
been mentioned in this regard. Between the wars the Americans began to eat
fried potato and for some reason referred to them as French fries.
Will the truth ever be known?
English muffins weren't
invented in England.
As for English muffins: it appears that in the USA muffins are known as
'English' muffins. Incidentally, Guy wonders if this naming phenomenon is
more widespread, because in Wales we have what English speakers call 'Welsh
cakes', but indigenous old-timer call them 'Round cakes'.
Back to the English muffins, I refer you to this excerpt from Wikipedia:
An old English nursery rhyme, "The Muffin Man", describes a door-to-door
purveyor of muffins. The rhyme was known at the time of Jane Austen in the
early 19th century, and a muffin man is mentioned at one point in her novel
Persuasion. The muffins sold at this period were made of yeasted dough and
baked on a hot griddle.
The etymology of the name is from moofin first used in 1703, derived from
the Low German Muffen, the plural of Muffe meaning a small cake, or possibly
with some connection to the Old French moufflet meaning soft as said of
bread. Muffins may well originate as far back as the 10th century, yet
the muffin became a fashionable bread during the 18th century. By the
beginning of the 19th century, there were dozens of muffin factories in
existence, and the "muffin man" was a common sight.
Muffins are a quick-baking bread and have become a tea-table staple. They
are usually split, toasted, buttered and then eaten with a savoury or sweet
topping such as honey.
It's
not that these English words are funny, its just that Will and I challenge you to include them in your repertoire and slip them into conversation.
Imbue: to dye; to instill profoundly.
Spoony: foolishly or sentimentally in love.
Visage: the face; also, appearance; aspect.
Sapient: wise; sage; discerning.
Quiddity: the essence or nature of a thing.
Exegete: one who explains or interprets difficult parts of written works.
Sine qua non: an
indispensable thing.
Sesquipedalian: (of words) long; having many syllables.
Predilection: an established preference.
Grandee: a man of elevated rank or station; a nobleman.
For example:
It's
the quiddity of grandees that they have a predilection to imbue sesquipedalian words. We bet that you can do even better.
The examples of 'Misnomers'
were reported in The Guardian newspaper in February 2006. Will and Guy
find this collection of quirky phrases both informative and amusing:
Arabic numerals originated in India.
Tin cans and tin foil are constructed from aluminium, not tin.
Danish pastries were invented in
Austria.
Dry cleaning uses a fluid called naphtha.
Pencil lead - pencils use graphite and not lead.
The Koala bear is a marsupial and not a bear.
Panama hats originate from Ecuador, not
Panama.
The word Asteroid means 'star-like'
and they are small planets.
The Turkey is native, to America and is named for its resemblance to a bird native to Africa.
The Peanut is a legume, [i.e.
fruit/vegetable] not a nut.
The People's
Democratic
Republic of Korea. [Think about it; particularly if you live there]
Madison Square Garden, USA is not square, nor is it currently a garden.
Madison Square was the location of the original Madison Square
Gardens. The first one opened in 1879 in a former hippodrome
located at the northeast corner of Madison Avenue and 26th street. The
second Madison Square Garden, replacing the first one in 1889, featured
a concert hall, theater and roof garden. The building had a prominent
tower built after the Giralda tower in Sevilla, topped by a nude statue
of the goddess Diana
English Is A Funny Language Says Expert
#
More Quirky English Words
Approximately 100 quirky words mark English people out from the rest of
the English-speaking world have been detailed in a new book: "Jolly Wicked
Actually: The 100 Words That Make Us English, by Tony Thorne, a language
expert and consultant at King's College London, details the words that have
become synonymous with the modern English language. The book details some of
the best known slang words used in the English language and speculates where
they could have derived from, including "fab", one of the few 1960s words
meaning trendy; "fusspot", meaning "anxiety" first used 300 years ago; and
"naff", which possibly derives from *NAAFI, the Navy, Army and Air Force
Institutes.
* The Navy, Army & Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) was established in 1921
and serves those who serve in the British Armed forces and their families.
If lawyers are disbarred, and clergymen defrocked, does it not
follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys
deranged , models deposed, or drycleaners depressed?
Laundry workers could decrease, eventually becoming depressed and
depleted.
Even more, bed makers could be debunked, baseball players debased,
landscapers deflowered, software engineers detested, underwear
manufacturers debriefed, and even musical composers will eventually
decompose.
On a different note though, perhaps we can hope that some politicians
will be devoted.
Get a clean joke delivered to your inbox every
day, no strings attached, just part of our service. Free
subscription to
our Funny Joke of the Day email.
We have over 1,500 pages of funny pictures, clean jokes, stories and amusing videos. Please use the Search below to find a topic of particular interest:
Thought of the Day Subscription
Our offer is to email you an inspirational
'Thought of the day'. Your subscription is completely free of cost and there
are no adverts. Sign up for our 'Thought of
the Day'.
