From George Clark:
In the absence of further evidence, one wonders if
mursher and merger
may be from the same root [re murder
of crows].
Well, merge comes from
Latin mergere "to dip, plunge". Its first recorded use was
in 1636 while mursher dates from 1450, so a connection does not
seem likely.
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From David de Jongh:
According to http://www.glaquarium.org/learn/lakematters/ecology/thelivinglake.html, the isinglas (misspelled on their site) used in the windows of cars and presumably surreys is the gelatinous one. It struck me as strange that those on the surrey should "roll right down", as the other isinglass (i.e. mica) is very brittle, and would surely fragment if rolled.
"Later, in the late 1800s, lake sturgeon were exploited for their eggs (to make caviar), and for the gelatin from the lining of the gas bladder which was used in making isinglass windows. "
Mica is indeed
brittle. Good sleuthing, David! This pertains to a discussion
in Sez You, Issue
164.
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From Matt Clark:
My dictionary claims to not know the origin of the word
ofay, a term
used by a black person about a white person. Logic dictates that it is pigeon english for "foe", as in Enemy.
I have always heard that ofay means "foe" in
Pig Latin, not pidgin
English.
Indeed!
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From Cooper Vertz:
You are probably done with the inoculation vs.
vaccination debate, but here's a tidbit that was not mentioned last week.
Vaccinia is actually
the Latin name of cowpox, which is used in the smallpox vaccine.
American Heritage says the origin is: New Latin
vaccinia, from Latin vaccinus, of cows!
NEW YORK (Dow Jones) - A new report on millions of smallpox vaccinations given
in the 1960's confirms that there is a small but significant risk that newly
vaccinated people can make others seriously ill by infecting them with
vaccinia, the virus used in the vaccine, The New York Times reported in its Wednesday
editions. Scientists said the findings were reassuring, since the risk was so small a few cases for every
100,000 vaccinations but cautioned that the risk today might be higher than in the
past, because more people have disorders of the skin or immune system that
predispose them to adverse effects from the vaccine or close contact with those
who have been vaccinated. The Times reported that the risk to those who
are unvaccinated but are in contact with those who are occurs because
vaccinia, a relative of smallpox, is shed from the vaccination site for about three
weeks and can make some people very sick. But the degree of risk to unvaccinated
people has not been clear.
Cows are indeed at the heart of the etymology of vaccine!
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Or
read last week's issue to see what all
of these people are talking about!
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