Note: This update is actually coming a month later than when I finished my last reading session. This post represents my reading through June 30th. Despite still working my way through the letter S, this is a very upbeat progress report. I set a goal for myself this time. While I failed to meet that goal, I only missed it by a little bit. I came just three and a half pages short of my target for the last three months.
I’m still not averaging even a page a day (hey, I’ve got a life, a wife, and two kids!) but if I can match my page count from the second quarter, I will be on the letter T the next time you hear from me. I consider the letter T to be the final battle. Once I move on to U, the letter sections are far shorter and I will be within 100 pages of the supplemental material at the back of my dictionary.
I’ve got a lot of work to do, but the reward is coming. In a few more months I just may see it on the horizon. Here are the many interesting words that I came across on this leg of the journey:
SISTER- This word originates from Old Norse. I still have not lost my love for words of Scandinavian origin.
SITH- The Star Wars geek in me could not pass up the chance to include this on my list. It’s an archaic word equivalent to ‘since.’
SIZZLE- MW traces this word back to 1603, which is far older than I could have imagined!
SKEET- It comes from the Norwegian word for ‘shoot.’ This makes perfect sense, as it is also the name of a type of clay bird shooting.
SKIRT- This word is of Old Norse origin. The root word is kirtle, which is a garment worn by men and women alike back in the Middle Ages. Kirtles started out as a loose, full-body garment but I can’t seem to find a clear explanation of how kirtles morphed into what we now know as skirts.
SKIVVIES- I’ve always hear to underwear being called this word as a nickname but it was actually once used as a trademark for a brand of men’s underwear.
SKOAL- How ironic that this 17th Century word for a toast to health is now used by a chewing tobacco company.
SKUNK- No, it’s not another Old Norse word. This one is of Algonquian origin. We took their land and their words. Go figure.
SKY- Now we’re back to the Old Norse words. Sorry, I just can’t help myself! Take that, Greek and Latin!
SLACKER- This word dates back to 1898. I guess work ethic was pretty good until the cusp of the 20th Century or they would have had a word for a lack of it by then.
SLOGAN- I like the etymology of this word and its original meaning. I haven’t come across too many Scottish-Gaelic words that were very interesting but everyone knows what a slogan is now. It’s basically a catchphrase. Originally, slogans were the war cries of clans. Pause, let that sink in, and then imagine corporate and political slogans being shouted like a war cry.
SLUSH FUND- This word now gets bandied about as a pejorative but it used to be a novel thing. A slush fund was an accumulation of monies by a ship’s crew from the sale of scrap and refuse. They would use the money to purchase small luxuries. When life hands you refuse, turn it into a slush fund!
SMART- The oldest definition (12th Century) means to cause someone pain. The one downside to my dictionary, is that it doesn’t list dates for subsequent definitions. Thus, I cannot tell you how ‘smart’ went from meaning painful to intelligent.
SNARKY- This term hit critical mass a few years ago and has grown stale. I was surprised, however, to learn that it dates back to 1906 and the meaning hasn’t changed much at all since then.
SPOOF- Anyone who has a basic understanding of comedic terminology is familiar with this word. Did you know that the word actually come from the title of a game created in the late 19th Century? It was a card game that involved nonsense and deception.
Page Count: 1187.5/1600 (74.22%)
Countdown to the Letter T: 48 pages
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