The word nag came up on
last Tuesday’s program. The question was, how can it convey two such very
different meanings?
One meaning is a horse,
especially an old or feeble one. The Oxford English Dictionary says that the origin is uncertain, but then it
goes on to cite an early modern Dutch word—negge, a small horse.
The other nag means to
scold, find fault, or persistently complain. The OED points to a nexus of
Scandinavian words as the source. They meant to rub, grumble, complain, or
irritate.
SIDEBAR:
Joan Jett’s Nag
Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts
Dictionary, 2nd edition
Now available as an ebook
Now available as an ebook
Listen to Mike’s program
in real time every Tuesday morning, 9:10 - 10:00 a.m. EST, by going to
wtcmradio.com and clicking on Listen Now. You’ll also find about a month’s worth of podcasts there under The
Ron Jolly Show.
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