Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504180007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
From various American Indian languages come ``moose,'' ``succotash,'' ``raccoon'' and ``toboggan,'' which filtered through Canadian French first.
In the 18th century, Americans could legitimately contract words in more ways, and ``ain't'' wasn't as scorned as it is today.
Benjamin Franklin was not only a statesman, but a lothario who tried to ``roger'' (18th-century parlance for ``hit on'') every woman who passed.
``Radarange'' was the original term for a microwave oven.
John Quincy Adams installed the first toilet in the White House in the 1820s, but the first mention of the term ``toilet paper'' didn't come until 1880, making one wonder about the interim years.
War always has been a fertile ground for new words. ``Sideburns'' came from a Union commander during the Civil War. World War I produced ``shell-shocked,'' the Korean War ``brainwash'' and Vietnam ``bought the farm.'' Even the months-long Persian Gulf War yielded a linguistic contribution - ``the mother of all'' anything.
The bicycle was called a ``velocipede'' and a ``bone-shaker'' before acquiring its current moniker in 1869.
From African roots come many musical terms, including ``cool,'' ``jazz,'' and jukebox's ``juke'' (from the West African ``dzugu,'' meaning ``wicket'').
by CNB