WELL
I'LL BE!
THE
ANSWER TO A QUESTION YOU NEVER ASKED
Why
is a carved pumpkin called a “Jack-o’-Lantern”?
The reason carved pumpkins are called Jack-o’-Lanterns
goes back to a well-worn story of an Irish farmer named Jack.
Though the story has many variations, the basic elements remain
the same through all the tellings.
Jack was known for being both extremely lazy and extremely
clever. He used his wit to get out of hard work, and often
spent his earnings at the local pub. He was neither good nor
bad; he had no friends and no enemies, and he had not once
performed a selfless act.
One night, while Jack was enjoying a drink at the local pub,
the devil came to take his soul. Jack invited the devil to
have a drink with him and, being stingy (and clever) said
to the devil, “If you really are the devil, why don’t
you turn yourself into a shilling?” The devil, quick
to show his boundless powers, agreed. Jack, rather than spend
the shilling, placed it in his pocket (where he also kept
a silver cross). The devil, powerless against such a potent
symbol of God, was unable to transform himself. Jack, being
as clever as he was, bargained with the devil. He would allow
the devil to transform himself if he promised to never let
Jack into Hell. The devil agreed.
When Jack died, he found himself before St. Peter and the
Pearly Gates. (continued on pg. 3, column 2)
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ETYMOLOGY
101
The origin of: mausoleum
A mausoleum is an elaborate building, often highly decorated,
that houses one or more tombs. The most famous mausoleum on
earth is the Taj Mahal, which was built between 1630 and 1653
for Arjumand (a.k.a. Mumtaz Mahal), wife of the Mughal emperor
Shah Jahan. The word owes its origins to Mausolus, a Persian
satrap (governor) who ruled the region of Caria (an area that
is now in southwestern Turkey) in the 4th century B.C. Sometime
before his death, Mausolus decided to immortalize himself
by drawing up plans for his own tomb. After his death, Mausolus’
wife Artemesia oversaw construction of the monument, which
towered 135 feet above a marble base and sported 36 columns
and statutes. During its time, Mausolus’ tomb was one
of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Greeks called
it the mausoleion after its ruler,
and from that time onward, this name was associated with any
grand and imposing burial site.
The
origin of: jeepers creepers
This
phrase was made popular by a line in a Louis Armstrong song
(“jeepers, creepers, where’d ya get them peepers”),
but what the heck does it mean?
It is an example of what happens when people don’t want
to use an offensive word but still want to send a message—something
known as a euphemism. “Jeepers creepers” is simply
a euphemism for Jesus Christ, much
like “heck” is a euphemism for hell.
This phrase in particular is likely the result of Christianity’s
taboo on using the Lord’s name in vain (see the 3rd
Commandment). Other examples are “gosh” and “golly”
for God, “jeez” for
Jesus, and “zounds”
for God’s wounds.
The
origin of: werewolf
This
is the simplest of all. The word has hardly changed from the
Old English wer “male person”
+ wulf “wolf.” For some
reason, females were never associated with wolf-transmogrification,
but if one had been, she would have been referred to as a
wifwulf. The transformation of
a man into a wolf is called lycanthropy,
from the Greek lykos “wolf”
+ anthropos “man.”
Sources:
etymonline.com,
The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories.
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Imperious
Cæsar, dead and turned to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away.
O, that that earth which kept the world in awe
Should patch a wall t’ expel the winter’s
flaw!
—Shakespeare, Hamlet V.i.220
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Pixie,
kobold, elf, and sprite,
All are on their rounds tonight;
In the wan moon's silver ray,
Thrives their helter-skelter play.
— Joel Benton |
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