β Why is there no meat in mincemeat? π‘ It’s because the word ‘meat’ has undergone a process of semantic change. π₯ Meat used to mean food in general, not just animal flesh. ππ So all of your dried fruit you’ve chucked in your mixture β it’s all food. It’s all minced. It’s no misnomerContinue reading “Why is there no meat in mincemeat? Etymology.”
Tag Archives: etymology
What does the name of my hometown (village! hamlet!) mean?
π ‘Land where young bullocks are kept’. πΊοΈ That’s the meaning of Little Strickland, the hamlet where I grew up in Cumbria. (Well, the ‘Strickland’ part anyway.) π¬π§ In Old English, stΔ«rc was a young bullock or heifer. There are still lots of young bullocks kept in that area so things haven’t really changed much!Continue reading “What does the name of my hometown (village! hamlet!) mean?”
What is a staycation? Musings on portmanteaus.
π€ Is it just me, or has the meaning of ‘staycation’ broadened recently? Pretty sure it used to encapsulate the idea of taking time off work, staying at home and going for day trips. News items this week are using it to mean holidays taken in your home country. Is that how you’ve always usedContinue reading “What is a staycation? Musings on portmanteaus.”
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