Every week, we pose a challenge: using any word of the day from the week, create a perfect tweet, otherwise known as a twoosh. If we like it, your tweet will appear on our blog.
Here are our favorites from last week:
Thanks to everyone for playing! Remember, to get the word of the day, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe via email.
While the television show The Soup brings you “the strange, obscure and totally unbelievable moments in pop culture, celebrity news and reality TV,” Word Soup brings you those strange, obscure, unbelievable (and sometimes NSFW) words from talk shows, sitcoms, dramas, and just about anything else on TV.
alpha gay
Kurt: “You don’t know what it’s like being your boyfriend. You are the alpha gay. Even Rachel wanted to make out with you. I used to get solos every week. Do you know how many times I’ve had to sit on a stool and watch you perform?”
“Dance With Somebody,” Glee, April 24, 2012
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and refers in general to “the first; the beginning.” It also means “being the highest ranked or most dominant individual of one’s sex,” and is “used of social animals.” Alpha gay means being the most dominant individual of a group of gays.
backslide
Schmidt: “Jess, first of all, you’re never gonna be old, humans are going to be immortal by 2026. Second of all, give me your phone. You have backslider written all over you.”
“Backslide,” New Girl, May 1, 2012
To backslide means “to slide back, in a figurative sense; apostatize; turn from the faith.” In this context, it means “to regress; to slip backwards or revert to a previous, worse state,” specifically, back to a bad relationship.
crapture
Homer [upon seeing Bart’s empty bedroom]: “Bart’s been raptured! And his crap’s been craptured!”
“A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again,” The Simpsons, April 29, 2012
Crapture is a blend of crap and rapture. Crap refers to Bart’s crap or stuff, while rapture is “the transporting of a person from one place to another, especially to heaven.”
Hat tip to 4ndyman.
fundemic
Cruise Director Priddis: “While the world deals with their pandemic, we’re having a fundemic!”
“A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again,” The Simpsons, April 29, 2012
Fundemic is a blend of fun and –demic, which comes from the Greek demos, “people.” Pandemic, which means “widespread” as well as “a pandemic disease,” comes from the Greek pandēmos, “of all the people.” Epidemic comes from the Greek epidēmos, “prevalent.”
funishment
Cruise Director Priddis: “You stand accused of letting down your team during music trivia. Your funishment: eight hours in the penal conga line.”
“A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again,” The Simpsons, April 29, 2012
Funishment, a blend of fun and punishment, is punishment through an activity that is supposed to be fun. Related is forced fun, “fun” activities (such as parties and outings) one is forced to do with one’s co-workers.
Geölter Blitz
Monroe: “My people know the [Murciélago] as Geölter Blitz, literally, bat out of hell. It’s a legendary liminal being.”
“Happily Ever Aftermath,” Grimm, May 4, 2012
Geölter Blitz, which is German, is actually not “bat out of hell” but “greased (geölter) lightning (Blitz).” The term figuratively means something very fast, like a bat out of hell. The German word for bat is Fledermaus (also the name of a well-known German opera).
humorsexual
Stephen Colbert: “These gay sitcom characters, or humorsexuals, are a menace to society. They seduce us into thinking gays are just like us. Normal people with relationships based on love and mutual respect. It is disgusting.”
The Colbert Report, May 7, 2012
Humorsexual is a play on homosexual. Colbert’s tongue-in-cheek commentary refers to Vice President Joe Biden’s statement that married gay couples deserve the same rights as heterosexual married couples, and that the sitcom Will and Grace “probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody’s done so far.”
Hundjäger
Narrator: “The Verat enforcers were identified as Hundjäger, from a race so tenacious and vicious, it is said they are birthed by consuming their own mothers from inside the womb.”
“Cat and Mouse,” Grimm, April 20, 2012
Hundjäger translates from German as “hound (hund) hunter (jäger),” that is, one that is a hound and hunts, not one who hunts hounds.
insatia
Prince of Persuasia: “Step three: brag. Not lying, but close. Make up a story about how you single-handedly murdered a wild animal. Your story’s going to release a hormone deep inside her body called insatia. It makes women ovulate – for sex!”
“Dr. Yap,” Bob’s Burgers, April 29, 2012
Insatia comes from insatiable, “incapable of being satisfied or appeased; inordinately greedy: as, insatiable desire.” The name Prince of Persuasia is a blend of Prince of Persia and persuasion.
jabroni
Meredith [to Andy singing during a formal dinner]: “Hey, jabroni, show some class.”
“Fundraiser,” The Office, April 26, 2012
Jabroni is “professional wrestling slang for one whose main purpose is to make the better-known wrestlers of the organization look good . . . by losing to them,” and may be a mock-Italianized form of jobber. Jabroni also refers to losers in general.
jerk-gate
Reporter: “Ms. Knope, I have a follow up to what I’m now deciding to call jerk-gate. Are there any other deceased members of Bobby Newport’s family that you’d like to attack?”
“Bus Tour,” Parks and Recreation, May 3, 2012
Jerk-gate, in which Leslie Knope called someone recently deceased a jerk, is a play on Watergate, “a series of scandals occurring during the Nixon administration in which members of the executive branch organized illegal political espionage against their perceived opponents and were charged with violation of the public trust, bribery, contempt of Congress, and attempted obstruction of justice.” Adding –gate to a word signals a scandal or controversy. See boobgate, nipplegate, and Weinergate.
Hat tip to Fritinancy.
Lauffeuer
Rosalie: “Have you heard of the Lauffeuer?”
Monroe: “The Lauffeuer? You mean, the resistance?”
“Cat and Mouse,” Grimm, April 20, 2012
Lauffeuer translates from the German as “wildfire.”
lesbian bed death
Kurt [to Rachel]: “Have you ever heard of lesbian bed death? I read about it online. It’s when two lesbians date for long enough they become like sisters. And Blaine and I are like an old married couple.”
“Dance With Somebody,” Glee, April 24, 2012
The term lesbian bed death was coined by “sociologist Pepper Schwartz in her 1983 book American Couples.” Schwartz claimed that “lesbian couples in committed relationships have less sex than any other type of couple, and they generally experience less sexual intimacy the longer the relationship lasts,” a claim which “has been criticized by the lesbian community and some psychologists as popular myth.”
Murciélago
Nick: “At the murder site there were broken light bulbs and mirrors. Could that be a Murciélago or Geo-whatever?”
“Happily Ever Aftermath,” Grimm, May 4, 2012
Murciélago, which translates from the Spanish as bat, is a bat-like creature with “the ability to produce a sonic shriek that is fatal to humans.”
Rominee
Jon Stewart: “We’re talking about Mitt Romney who will be the Republican Presidential nominee, or as I now call it, the Rominee. That’s trademarked.”
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, May 2, 2012
Rominee is a blend of Romney and nominee.
sanitipsy
Stephen Colbert: “Our kids are getting sanitipsy.”
The Colbert Report, May 7, 2012
Sanitipsy is a blend of sanitizer and tipsy, and is based on a report that teens drink hand sanitizer to get drunk.
smell-check
Reggie: “I should be back at my restaurant smell-checking the meats.”
“Moody Foodie,” Bob’s Burgers, May 6, 2012
Smell-check is a play on spell check, which refers to “an application within most word processing programs that checks for spelling errors in documents.” To smell-check means to check if something has spoiled by smelling it.
voir dire
Benjamin: “Juror number three, Ann Woodbury for instance. In voir dire, she presented as open, impartial. But based on her physical reactions to the prosecution’s evidence, it’s likely she’ll vote to convict.”
“Justice,” Revenge, April 25, 2012
Voir dire is legal term meaning “a preliminary examination of prospective jurors or witnesses under oath to determine their competence or suitability.” The phrase translates roughly from the Old French as “say (dire) the truth (voir).”
That’s it for this week! Remember, if you see any Word Soup-worthy words, let us know on Twitter with the hashtag #wordsoup. Your word and Twitter handle might appear right here!
Every week, we pose a challenge: using any word of the day from the week, create a perfect tweet, otherwise known as a twoosh. If we like it, your tweet will appear on our blog.
Here are our favorites from last week:
Thanks to everyone for playing! Remember, to get the word of the day, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe via email.
Welcome to this week’s Language Blog Roundup, in which we bring you the highlights from our favorite language blogs and the latest in word news and culture.
Margaret Atwood played ambassador to the Martians this week, and used literature to tell them about America. In The Boston Globe, Christopher Muther wondered if email and text have driven people to overuse the exclamation point; Erin McKean reviewed invented languages and “From Elvish to Klingon,” a new collection of essays edited by Michael Adams; and Ben Zimmer unraveled the history of a very long, fanciful word.
At Language Log, Ben Zimmer noted a 50 Cent Malaysian mistranslation; Victor Mair examined a new non-stigmatizing Chinese word for epilepsy; and Mark Liberman considered Noam Chomsky and anticipation. Geoff Pullum discussed ongoing lexical fascism, a couple of rare words, and at Lingua Franca, the foolishness of hopefully. Also at Lingua Franca, Carol Saller wrote about writing “by ear” or “by eye”; Ben Yagoda quizzed us on modern proverbs; and Lucy Ferriss pondered word lovers hating on certain words.
At Macmillan Dictionary Blog, Orin Hargraves broke down compound fractures, and Stan Carey showed us the unreality of real estate language, and on his own blog, commented on the problem with banning words. In the week in words, Erin McKean noted particularist, “those who adhere to particularism, a term used to refer to several different ‘particular’ behaviors”; hotelling, when employees reserve work space in advance rather than having a permanent desk; and actigraphy, the monitoring of motion.
Word Spy spotted tweet seats, “a section in a theater set aside for people who want to tweet during a performance,” and schtick lit, “a writing genre in which the author undertakes an odd or stuntlike project with the intention of writing about the experience.” Meanwhile, Fritinancy served up copypasta, “text or data (such as lines of code) copied and pasted from one website to another”; N.R.A. mottos, then and now; -kini words; and vowel-free restaurant names.
Sesquiotica gave us a hand with chirality; the different meanings of expletive; some acoustic phonetics; and the etymology of vamp. Lynneguist explained the difference between tidbit and titbit, while the Virtual Linguist explained the history of the word luddite; the origin of omnishambles; and words that will be banned during the Olympic Games in London. The Dialect Blog dialogued on idiolects and the other American dialects, such as Pennsylvania German. Oz Words conversed on the billy can; that other c-word, convict; and the very scary skullet.
LA Weekly told us about some phrases that originated in our home state of California, while Brainpicker let us know about this book on the whimsy of words. In plant news, we would like to nominate Gozillus as the best prehistoric cactus name ever.
We loved this letter from Benjamin Franklin to Noah Webster, and this one on spelling reform. But to have spelling reform, one must first be able to spell, unlike these guys.
That’s it for this week. Se u neks taim!
If you’re like us, you’ve been peeing your pants waiting in great anticipation for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, which opens this Friday in the U.S. (The lucky ducks in the UK have already had the chance to see it.) To us, Whedon, comic books, and an amaze-balls cast create the perfect nerd-storm, and to celebrate, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite Marvel Comics words.
adamantium
“Hugh Jackman reprises the role that made him a superstar, as the fierce fighting machine who possesses amazing healing powers, adamantium claws, and a primal fury known as berserker rage.”
“Wolverine Movie Extended Synopsis,” Comic Book Movie, April 16, 2009
Adamantium is, according to the Marvel Universe Wiki, “an artificially-created alloy of iron that is the most impervious substance known on Earth.” The term first appeared in July 1969 in Avengers #66, and may be a play on the noun form of adamant, “a name applied with more or less indefiniteness to various real or imaginary metals or minerals characterized by extreme hardness.” Adamant comes from the Greek adamas, “unconquerable, hard steel, diamond.”
costumed athlete
“It was [Jack ‘King’ Kirby] who put a Silver Surfer on a flying surfboard and sent him soaring through the untracked cosmos. Kirby who turned a costumed athlete in a flag suit into Captain America – ‘Living Legend of World War II.'”
Leonard Pitts Jr., “Silver Surfer of comics cosmos meets Dr. Doom,” Rome News-Tribune, February 18, 1994
A costumed athlete is “any costumed adventurer who has no enhanced abilities or super-powers.” It’s arguable whether or not Captain America is a true costumed athlete, as “he experienced a time when he was augmented to superhuman level.” Truer costumed athletes are Iron Man and Hawkeye (aka Ronin).
Darkforce
“The Darkforce seems to work a little differently for every user (a detail that makes the Darkforce a little too convenient of a plot device for me) but in the Shroud’s case, it seems to mean that he carries the cover of darkness with him wherever he goes, emitting dark clouds to shroud his comings and goings.”
“The Shroud and the Marvel Underworld (Shadowland spoiler?),” Comic Vine, July 19, 2010
Darkforce is an energy that “has the ability to assume the properties of both matter and energy depending on the needs of the user,” and may be “a sentient property, often possessing or corrupting those who use it.” The term first appeared in August 1976’s Champions #7. Star Wars, which has the concepts of the Force and the dark side, was released in 1977, but it’s unclear if those concepts were influenced by Darkforce.
flame on
“Instead of giving them terrible illnesses [the cosmic radiation storm] of course turns them into Übermenschen of various sorts, though only Johnny’s new abilities are an unmixed blessing: by shouting “Flame on!” he converts himself into a flying ball of fire.”
Peter Bradshaw, “Fantastic Four,” The Guardian, July 21, 2005
Flame on is the catchphrase of Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch. Storm first appeared in 1961 in The Fantastic Four #1.
gamma rays
“Hollywood technology wizards quickly built their own replica of the Gamma Sphere. In the movie, the monster within Bruce Banner is unleashed after the scientist is hit with gamma rays during an experiment.”
Stefan Lovgren, “The Hulk: Fact vs Fiction,” National Geographic, July 2, 2003
Gamma rays, short for gamma radiation, refer to “electromagnetic radiation emitted by radioactive decay.” French chemist and physicist, Paul Ulrich Villard, discovered gamma rays around 1903, although it was fellow chemist-physicist Ernest Rutherford “who proposed to call Villard’s rays gamma rays because they were far more penetrating than the alpha rays and beta rays which he himself had already differentiated and named (in 1899) on the basis of their respective penetrating powers.”
Real-life gamma ray health effects include “radiation sickness, cell’s DNA damage, cell death due to damaged DNA, increasing incidence of cancer.”
healing factor
“Other than dropping him in instant, bone-stripping acid, I’m really not sure how you’d take him out. Thanks to his mutant healing factor, he’s pretty good at getting better.”
Josh Tyler, “Need To Know: A Virgin’s Guide To Wolverine,” Cinema Blend, April 29, 2009
The healing factor is the “ability to rapidly recover from injuries and regenerate lost tissue,” and is a popular trope in comics, literature, TV, and movies. It may be based on the biological concept of regeneration,”regrowth of lost or destroyed parts or organs,” which is found in some starfish and amphibians. The U.S. Army is in the process of developing a real-life healing factor, and have succeeded in “growing back a soldier’s fingertip after it [was] cut off.”
Legacy Virus
“In the well-established and often convoluted ‘X-Men’ lore found within the Marvel comic’s continuity, Pyro was a rambunctious villain with the ability to control fire who was a onetime ally of Mystique. He eventually succumbed to the Legacy Virus, a mutant-only disease that posed a danger to all of the series’ main characters.”
Ryan J. Downey, “New Mutants Added to X-Men 2,” MTV.com, May 30, 2002
The Legacy Virus is “a deadly disease that attacked the mutant gene, causing its host’s powers to flare out of control before death.” The virus was “based on one that was used 2000 years in the future.”
mandroid
“Hammer created the Mandroids with the assistance of the evil genius Ivan Vanko, aka Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), and plans to mass produce them for the military.”
“New Iron Man 2 Stills, Viral Mystery, and Interactive Content,” Reelz, May 4, 2010
The mandroid is “battle armor designed by Tony Stark [Iron Man] for use by S.H.I.E.L.D.,” and is a blend of man and android. The mandroid first appeared in December 1971 in Avengers #94. The word android, “an automaton resembling a human being in shape and motions,” was coined in 1847, and comes from the Greek andro, “human,” and edies, “form, shape.” The Online Etymology Dictionary notes that android was “listed as ‘rare’ in [Oxford English Dictionary] 1st edition (1879),” and was popularized around 1951 by science fiction writers.
mutant
“The leader of the X-Men, the telepathic Prof. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), gives them shelter at his school for gifted (read mutant) children while trying to make peace with the majority.”
Ron Weiskind, “Mutant Power,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 30, 2009
Mutants, “also known as ‘homo superior,’” are humans “born with genetic abnormalities which grants them abilities, an appearance, or powers beyond the normal variation expressed in the human genome.” Mutants differ from superhumans, “people who gain powers due to exposure of foreign elements,” and mutates, “former humans genetically enhanced with superpowers by a villain with Mad Scientist credentials.” The word mutant comes from the Latin mūtāre, “to change,” while the science fiction sense of mutant is attested from 1954.
radar sense
“Writer Jim Krueger suggested Absorbing Man because it would be insanely difficult for Matt’s radar sense to get an accurate reading on someone whose physical substance changes at will.”
Brian Truitt, “Daredevil returns in ‘swashbuckling’ new series,” USA Today, June 2, 2011
Radar sense is “an extrasensory means of perception by which the brain generates electromagnetic waves which travel outward, bounce off objects, and are again picked up by the brain, which thus determines what its surroundings are.”
ruby quartz
“As any comic fan knows, the leader of the X-Men, Cyclops, was born with a mutation that causes his eyes to fire out laser beams. To control these beams, our hero (aka Scott Summers) must wear ‘ruby quartz’ lenses over his eyes.”
“Ali flick bites the dust,” The Guardian, November 2, 1999
According to James Kakalios in his book, The Physics of Superheroes, rose quartz results when “the mineral contains a very small amount of iron and titanium,” resulting in “a slight pinkish hue.” A “suspension of ruby dots in the quartz will result in cloudy brown and beige veins, and this dark, smoky, nearly opaque mineral is termed ‘ruby quartz.’”
Spidey-sense
“Spider-Man, you will recall, has a ‘spidey-sense’, which alerts him to impending disaster and gives him time to react suitably.”
Giles Coren, “I had my Spider-Man moment. And I failed,” The Times, May 29, 2010
Spidey-sense refers to Spider-Man’s ability to sense danger before it occurs. It “manifests in a tingling feeling at the base of his skull, alerting him to personal danger in proportion to the severity of that danger.” Spidey-sense also refers to intuition or instinct in general.
symbiote
“Venom is a villain from the Spider-Man universe that was spawned after an alien symbiote attached itself to Spider-Man. Once Spider-Man shed himself of the symbiote, the alien life form had gained the same powers as Spider-Man and passed them on to another host.”
Alex Billington, “Rumor: Venom Getting a Spin-Off Movie?” First Showing, February 4, 2008
A symbiote is “an alien being that bonds itself to a host body to survive,” and is “named for the symbiotic relationship it maintains with its hosts.” The word symbiotic ultimately comes from the Greek sumbios, “living together.”
uru
“It has Thor and Loki as brothers – the best of friends… and it shows how that goes bad. The origin of the uru hammer, Thor being thrown from Asgard to being a mere mortal… it’s a HUGE story – easily the most awesome script that a MARVEL project has ever had.”
Lev Grossman, “Some Old-School Marvel Comics Action: Hulk and Thor,” Time, August 10, 2007
Uru is a metal from Asgard, home planet of Thor and other Norse gods, and is “known for its durability and affinity for magic.” Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, “was forged from this ore.”
vibranium
“Much like the material that makes up Wolverine’s claws, adamantium, Captain America‘s shield is made of a fictional metal called ‘vibranium.’ In the comics world, vibranium is only found in the African nation of Wakanda, where the Cap’s Avengers teammate Black Panther hails from.”
Rick Marshall, “‘Captain America: The First Avenger’: Five things that were missing from the superhero movie,” IFC, July 25, 2011
Vibranium is named for its ability to absorb “vibratory energy,” or soundwaves.
widow’s bite
“Black Widow’s powers, according to Marvel’s online archives, come from government treatments that augmented her immune system and enhanced her durability. She also wears bracelets that can deliver the ‘widow’s bite’ — 30,000 volts.”
Sharon Eberson, “Look who’s new in ‘Iron Man 2,'” Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, May 6, 2012
The bite of the real life black widow spider – named for the “female’s supposed habit of eating the male after mating” – is extremely toxic and painful but rarely life-threatening. More widow’s phrases.
zuvembie
“While vampires and werewolves were fair game, zombies were still banned. Marvel, who was experiencing success at the time with their Tomb of Dracula and Werewolf by Night books, came up with a way around this. They created characters called ‘Zuvembies’. These characters looked liked zombies, acted like zombies and appeared to be zombies, but since they were named zuvembies, the Comic Code Authority was none the wiser (if only censors were that dense today).”
William Gatevackes, “Marvel Zombies #1,” Pop Matters, January 19, 2006
The zuvembie was “created by [Conan the Barbarian creator] Robert E. Howard in his short story Pigeons From Hell, published in Weird Tales in 1938.” The zuvembie is basically a zombie, but “due to restrictions put in place by the Comics Code Authority,” the term zombie could not be used. Marvel Comics first used zuvembie in Avengers #152 (October 1976), and switched to zombie in 1989 when the word was permitted.
For even more things Marvel, check out the excellent Marvel Universe Wiki, and be sure to let us know about your own favorite marvel-ous words. Till next time, Make Mine Marvel!
What comes to mind when you think of May Day? A Maypole, perhaps, surrounded by beribboned dancers. A young woman being crowned May queen. Maybe a weird music video from the ’80s. We delved into words about May Day, and encountered some interesting origins.
The holiday itself is “a day on which the opening of the season of flowers and fruit was formerly celebrated throughout Europe.” Observances include “the gathering of hawthorn-blossoms and other flowers, the crowning of the May-queen, dancing round the May-pole, etc.” Beltane is another holiday celebrated on May first, an “ancient Celtic festival” during which “bonfires were kindled on the hills.” This custom was derived “from the worship of the sun, or fire in general, which was formerly in vogue among the Celts as well as among many other heathen nations.” The word Beltane may mean “blazing fire.”
The night before May Day is known as Walpurgis Night, “observed in some European countries and in some Scandinavian communities in the United States in celebration of spring and marked by music, singing, and bonfires.” Walpurgis Night is translated from the German Walpurgisnacht, and is named for Saint Walpurga, an “English abbess who migrated to Heidenheim, Germany” in the eighth century.
Walpurgis Night is also sometimes referred to as the witches’ sabbath, based on a German fairy tale that says on Walpurgis Night “the witches held their meetings on the Brocken,” a peak of the German Harz Mountains. According to John Michael Cooper in his book Mendelssohn, Goethe, and the Walpurgis Night, this may come from “a misunderstanding of the [German] word ‘Unhold‘ [demon].” Those “who did not want to abandon their heathen worship altogether” became known as Unholden, “unfriendly,” and “would have gone up onto the highest mountains, and therefore also up onto the Brocken, where they made sacrifices to the goddess Herda.” The word unhold would “later came to mean ‘demon,’” which caused some to believe that “witches were gathering on the Brocken.”
The morning of May Day is the may-morn, which also means “freshness, vigor.” May-dew is “the dew of May, which is said to have great virtue in whitening linen, and to have also other remarkable properties.” May-dewing is “the custom of washing the face in dew on May-day, or on the first Sunday in May, to secure lasting beauty of complexion.” A may-garland is “a wreath of flowers formerly borne from house to house by children on May-day.” May-game refers to “sport or play such as is usual on or about the first of May,” and figuratively, “frolic; jest,” as well as “one who takes part in the May-games or May-day sports; hence, a trifler; also, one who is an object of May-games or jests; a make-game.”
The Maypole “was usually cut and set up afresh on May-day morning, drawn by a long procession of oxen, decorated, as were also the pole itself and the wagon, with flowers and ribbons.” The symbolism of the pole has long been debated. Some say it stands for the world axis or axis mundi, “the world center and/or the connection between Heaven and Earth.” Another theory holds that Maypoles were “a remnant of the Germanic reverence for sacred trees.” Others have viewed Maypoles “as having phallic symbolism,” while still others theorize that they’re “simply a part of the general rejoicing at the return of summer, and the growth of new vegetation.”
A may-lord is “a young man chosen to preside over the festivities of May-day,” while the May queen, also known as the may-lady, is “a girl or young woman crowned with flowers and honored as queen at the games held on May-day.”
A maggiolata is “an Italian May-day song,” while the morris dance (derived from Moorish dance, perhaps “in reference to fantastic dancing or costumes”) is “a dance of persons in costume, especially of persons wearing hoods and dresses tagged with bells.” On May Day, the dancers “commonly represented the personages of the Robin Hood legend.”
Morris dancers
A character in the morris dance is Maid Marian, “often a man in woman’s clothes,” also known as a malkin. According to the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Maid Marian is a corruption of Mad Morion, “named for the ‘morion’ which [this character] wore on his head.”
So which came first, Maid Marian as a character in the morris dance or as “Robin Hood’s sweetheart”? According to the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the character of Robin Hood’s Maid Marian was based on a real-life “Matilda, the daughter of Fitz-Walter, baron of Bayard and Dunmow, who eloped with Robert Fitz-Ooth, the outlaw, and lived with him in Sherwood Forest,” and then according to this poem by the Earl of Huntingdon:
Next ’tis agreed
That fair Matilda henceforth change her name,
And while [she lives] in Shirewodde …
She by maid Marian’s name be only called.
Furthermore, says the Online Etymology Dictionary, Robin and Marian “have been stock names for country lovers” in French since the 13th century.
Now that you’re caught up on May Day words, you can dance if you want to, just don’t leave your friends behind.
[Photo credit: “The Maypole,” CC BY 2.0 by April Killingsworth]
Every week, we pose a challenge: using any word of the day from the week, create a perfect tweet, otherwise known as a twoosh. If we like it, your tweet will appear on our blog.
Here are our favorites from last week:
Thanks to everyone for playing! Remember, to get the word of the day, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe via email.