Food experts

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It may seem a bit limited, not to say odd, but a number of scientists devote their entire career to studying one specific food. It may be because of a family business that they wish to improve and perpetuate. Perhaps significant grants are available because that particular food is crucial to public health. It might be the intellectual attraction of a complex crop that requires knowledge of genetics, chemistry, economics, history, climate, and culture. Or perhaps it was just an accident: at the beginning of their lab career, they stumbled onto something that was so understudied that it helped accelerate their career in a way that no other crop could have.

Whatever the reason, I find it fascinating that these folks end up with unique titles that pinpoint their field of expertise, and the fact that those names are usually derived from Latin or Greek word parts is right up my alley.

The general terms for a food expert are bromatologist (Greek broma, food) and sitologist (Greek sitos, food). The -ologist suffix, as most people know, is a Greek combining form meaning a specialist. But it's the specific fields of study that I find fascinating, so let's look at some.

·      Acorns: balanologist

·      Almonds: amygdalogist

·      Barley: crithologist

·      Berries: baccatologist

·      Cabbages: brassicologist

·      Cashews: anacardologist

·      Cheese: fromologist

·      Chestnuts: castanologist

·      Corn: spicologist

·      Crustaceans: carcinologist

·      Cucumbers: cucumologist

·      Eggs: ovologist

·      Figs: sycologist

·      Fish: icthyologist

·      Fruit: carpologist

·      Grapes: botryologist

·      Hickory nuts: cichorologist

·      Kidney beans: phaseologist

·      Peaches: persicologist

·      Peanuts: arachologist

·      Pears: piriologist

·      Radishes: raphanologist

·      Strawberries: fragarologist

·      Truffles: hydnologist

·      Turnips: napologist

·      Vegetables: lachanologist

·      Walnuts: juglandologist

What is 'semiquincentennial' and are there other ways to express the same idea?

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We're about to observe the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and the government has chosen the official adjective, which has been endorsed by the media:   semiquincentennial. Broken into its parts, this represents -centennial (100), -quin- (five), and semi -(half). In other words, half of 500 years.,

These word parts are borrowed from Latin, which forms the pool for all anniversary terms in English required for formal or academic use -- or, to be brutally honest, for impressing people with your erudition. Most other languages stick with words like observance, anniversary, celebration, and the like, preceded by the number: 250th anniversary. Perhaps if someone feels an urgent need for formality, quarter-millennial (1/4th of 1,000) is as far as they might go. In fact, the Romans themselves probably would have considered the long words as non-standard fabrications rather barbaric in nature.

Theoretically, there are other fabricated words or neologisms that could have been created to convey the same idea. Sestercentennial would be based on sesterce, an ancient Roman coin worth 2 and 1/2 units called asses, and centennial (100).

Another possibility would be bisesquicentennial, formed by combining -centennial (100), -sesqui- (1 and 1/2), and bis-(twice).

There are a few reasons why Latin is the go-to language for anniversary numbers. For centuries, Latin was the primary (and easier, though not exclusive), scholarly language. Its number system was thus more readily understandable. So Latin word parts seemed more natural for time and ceremonial observations. Greek tended to be the star for scientific terms. Think of kilometer, hexagon, and megaton.

If you wanted to construct a word for 250 from Greek word parts, it would be quite clunky. It might look like this: diakosiopentekontaetia. This would break down into -aetia (period of time), -pentakonta- (fifty), and diakosioi- (200).

I'm going to stick with 250th anniversary.

 

New York City is hosting the Sail4th 250 festival, featuring the largest parade of tall ships ever assembled in American history, with over 40 majestic tall ships from around the globe sailing up the Hudson River

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New York City is hosting the Sail4th 250 festival, featuring the largest parade of tall ships ever assembled in American history, with over 40 majestic tall ships from around the globe sailing up the Hudson River

Half a Loaf

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HALF A LOAF

 

It’s always fun to play with the deeper meanings concealed in words, and today the hidden treasure is the word bread. 

 

It shows up, for instance, in the word bribe. Today, a bribe is money or a favor given to a person of some authority in order to influence his or her decision. The word started out in Old French as a piece of bread, particularly one given to a beggar. As time went on, it began to refer to a professional beggar, often unsavory, who lived on alms. From there, it became plunder or spoils, and it was applied to the person who received them. Somewhere in the 16^th century, direction shifted, and it became an act of the giver.

 

A companion is a buddy, an associate, a comrade. Literally, a companion is someone with whom you share bread (L. com, together, and panis, bread). Comrade, by the way, means a chamber-mate, someone who shares a tent with you. We can see the early military contexts involved in companion and comrade.

 

Arto- was a Greek combining form meaning bread, and during intense anti-Catholic eras it was flung around as an insult. An artolater was someone who worshipped the host; he or she practiced artolatry. Much earlier, the word artotyrite was applied to a 2^nd century Galatian sect whose members were alleged to celebrate the Eucharist with bread and cheese (Gr. tyros). A less vituperative use showed up in artophagous (bread-eating), from the Latin, that has a cousin in panivorous (bread-eating).

 

A canister is a small metal container used to hold tea, coffee, and other food items, but it started out in Latin (canistrum) with a very specific meaning: a bread basket. You might keep your canisters in a pantry, a closet or small room in the kitchen used to store food items, utensils, and other cooking and eating aids. Originally, it was a storeroom for bread (panis).

 

People like restaurants that feature smorgasbords because they provide a rich variety of offerings -- something to please every palate. But originally, mörgås meant a slice of bread and butter placed on the table (bord). And speaking of restaurants, Panera means something close to breadbasket.

 

Finally, turning to lord and its companion word lady, in Old English, lord meant "one who guards the bread," and lady meant "the kneader of bread," showing its importance in household provisions.

Irish Bulls

 

 

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IRISH BULLS

•          If Queen Victoria were alive today, she’d be turning over in her grave.

•          May you never live to see your wife a widow.

•          I’d give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

If you think running with the bulls at Pamplona is dangerous, look over your shoulder: here come the Irish Bulls!

The American Heritage Dictionary defines an Irish Bull as a statement containing anincongruity or a logical absurdity, usually unbeknownst to the speaker. As an example, itgives, “With a pistol in each hand and a sword in the other ….”

Irish Bulls were deeply ingrained in the speech patterns of Sir Boyle Roche, a member of Parliament in various Irish counties from 1776 to 1800, and that’s where the Irish connection comes in. The term was frozen in place by Dr John Mahaffy, a 19th Century scholar at Trinity College, Dublin. Asked what makes Irish bulls different fromother bulls, he was quoted as saying, “An Irish Bull is always pregnant,” making itsuperior, one supposes, to less prolific bovines in other lands.

Let's run through a sampling of this brand of humor.

·               We're all in this alone.   Lily Tomlin 

·               You are unique -- just like everybody else.   Jim Wright

·                     You should have been there after you left.    Michael Kirk 

·                     Why should we go out of our way to do anything for posterity? What       
               has posterity done for us?   Sir Boyle Roche

·                    The cup of Ireland's misery has been overflowing for centuries and is   
              not yet half full.   Sir Boyle Roche

·                    An oral contract isn't worth the paper it's printed on.  Samuel Goldwyn

·                    Our comedies are not to be laughed at.   Samuel Goldwyn

·                    Two things he was not able to do before, he's beginning to be able to 
              do again.   John Madden 

·                    There's no future in time travel.   Tom Baker as Dr. Who

·                    There's a time for laughing, and there's a time for not laughing; this is   
              not one of them.   Inspector Clousseau

·                    There is more pure chocolate in our all-butter cookies than any other 
              ingredient.   Safeway label 

·                    Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded.  Yogi Berra

·                   This is like deja vu all over again.  Yogi Berra

·                    If the fans don't come out to the ball park, you can't stop them.   Yogi  
              Berra

·                     Warning: this product may contain olive pits.  Label on a pitted olive  
               can purchased in Oleson's Market

·                    The warning message we sent the Russians was a calculated 
              ambiguity that would be clearly understood.   Alexander Haig 

·                    The superfluous is very necessary.   Voltaire

·                    How can I be in two places at once, unless I were a bird?   Sir Boyle 
              Roche

·                    The only way to prevent what's past is to put a stop to it before it 
               happens.   Sir Boyle Roche

·                     The New York City Metropolitan Area has more people than the entire 
               state of New York.   Key to the City website 

·                     San Francisco isn't what it used to be, and it never was.   Herb Caen 

·                     I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree 
               with them.   George H. W. Bush 

 

 

Small Change: Idioms Involving Coins

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Many of us have a change jar on our desk or on a shelf. When we empty our pockets, pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters clink into the jar to join their brethren. In time, they add up, so we wrap them in paper cylinders and take them to the bank to convert them to paper.

Over the years, a number of idioms have grown up based on small change.

• bad penny (to turn up like a): to show up at an event or a place where you are definitely not wanted.

• count your pennies: pay attention to small details if you want your affairs to be in order.

• in for a penny, in for a pound: a show of determination that no mattter what the cost, you are going to stay the course.

• not have a red cent: totally bankrupt. The red referred to the collar of copper used in the coin.

• not have two pennies to rub together: again, to be totally bankrupt.

• pennies from heaven: an unexpected benefit, probably a reflection of the biblical manna from heaven.

• penny dropped, (the): a thought finally impinged on one’s consciousness. Probably a reference to a slot machine or a gumball machine; the money drops and finally hits home.

• penny for your thoughts: an indirect way of saying, “what are you thinking about?”

• penny-pinching: being a most careful steward of your money; you hold it in a tight grip.

• penny saved is a penny earned: even small amounts begin to add up if you spend nothing as money comes in.

• penny wise and pound foolish: you pay attention to small monetary matters, but are careless about larger expenses.

• pretty penny, (that’ll cost you a): the price will be high.

• put in my two cents’ worth: give your opinion. It has apparent elements of self-deprecation, but may actually represent false modesty.

 • don’t take any wooden nickels: don’t let yourself be cheated or scammed; real nickels are metal.

• nickel and dime someone: to add on small charges that, in time, begin to be significant or, at least, annoying.

• not worth a plugged nickel: worthless. A plug was a hole made in a coin and filled with a baser metal. Defaced currency would not be accepted as legal tender.

• dime a dozen, a: cheap and readily available. Each item would cost less than a cent.

• drop the dime: to betray someone. A dime was the price of a pay-phone call to the local police precinct.

• get off the dime: to spring into action, especially after a period of lethargy.

• stop/turn on a dime: to come to a halt/change direction very quickly.