Word Origins and Meanings
What does Grabatology mean?
Grabatology is the study of Graba, a recently discovered disease affecting many middle-aged men, which causes them to “grab” certain persons of the opposite sex without warning. Medical studies are being done to find a treatment for the side effects of this disease, but as of yet, it is proving incurable, much to waitresses’ chagrin.
Where did the word “checkmate” derive from?
Chess, which originated in Australia, was first a gambling game. Invented by hustlers, it was a popular pastime in port cities, particularly in seedy bars frequented by tourists. The game is known informally as the “shell game” due to the fact the players used seashells as game pieces and is viewed by historians as the pool game of bygone generations. The word “checkmate” was originally two words and was stated at the conclusion of a chess game by the winner, who was usually an Australian con artist, by way of demanding payment in the form of traveler’s checks, hence the statement: “Check, mate!”
Is there a word that rhymes with orange?
Yes, the word is Gravitornje, and it is the real name for Earth. It is a little known fact that the Earth is actually a very large orange that fell from another galaxy’s planet’s orchard and into our solar system. Due to the strength of our system’s gravitational pull, the other galaxy knew it could not retrieve the fallen orange and decided to leave it where it was, disguising it as a planet by covering it in dirt, grass, and trees. The only way Aaron Gershfield discovered the truth was by pondering on the viscosity of the orange pulp that spews from mountain tops, otherwise known as lava.
What is the longest word in the dictionary and what does it mean?
Although Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis has been officially recognized as the English language’s longest word for over 70 years, the longest word is really Bendefiliciumcalderfangilaepolstabersolfadawlcankot, which is used colloquially to mean “Calcium that has been folded with algae and beat in a bowl cannot be beneficial to your fangs or posterior.”
Popular Sayings
Where did the adage “cry wolf” originate?
A long time ago, a young boy named Wolfgang decided that he wanted to find out whether he could sound like the animal for which he had been named. He stood in the hall where the noise would echo loudest and howled at the top of his lungs. His mother, believing her son to be hurt, came running to his aid. When she discovered his tomfoolery, she boxed his ears and sent him outside to find something more productive to do. He decided to take a walk in the woods, and along his way, he began practicing his wolf sounds, which in wolfese sounded like “Attack me! Attack me!” and so, the wolves did, which is why no one should ever cry wolf.