Words

What are you curious about?

Okay, I love words, whether they’re written, spoken or sung.

I have a strange -if only to myself – fascination and manic curiosity as to where certain words, names or sayings come from. I mean, who decided that rain means rain? How did it catch on? It’s not like they had the Internet back at the beginning of existence to put that out there. This word will mean water will fall from the sky, it will from this day forth be known as Rain.

As crazy as it sounds I study street names, playing a game in my head as to why a street or road is named what it is… I sometimes come to the conclusion that maybe the person naming it simply lacked any imagination. For example, the street, ash tree road, coldblow lane. These are but a tiny example of names that could have been so much more for a landmark that, let’s face it, will most likely be there for a very long time. Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive is a place in the New Forrest UK, now that’s using your imagination, granted it will probably never fit in the small box on a form you might be filling in but, it’s interesting.

Photos courtesy of Tumour/web

Words are an amazing tool, we use them everyday and seldom wonder what their origins are. I love words such as Discombobulate (confused , disordered) Onomatopoeia (sounds like the word) Conundrum (confusing problem), Serendipity (happy & accidental discovery) great words but how did they come to be? If you know, drop me a line.

Splash

So good people, this is my curiosity. It has me constantly talking to myself and looking up origins, kind of a Call my Bluff pastime.