Story behind words...the idea!

Words, words, words....nice words, cool words, funny words, weird words....

What is a couch potato?
Why is the word "marmalade" just for orange jam and not any other jam?
What does greenhorn mean?
Come and join us on our fun ride to stories behind words, legends, jokes, nick names...
We invite our readers to add new words!

When you know or find a nice story please post it!!

Please mail to brg2700@gmail.com

dead end

has nothing to do with crime!

It means a "street with only one way out", a blind alley.

You can drive in one direction but then you have to turn round and go back!

Sweet tooth

...is someone who really really likes candies, chocolates, sweets, jellies, cookies, puddings, icecream, cakes, pies, lollies, toffies ...
and who eats lots and lots of such sweet stuff!
Yummy...!

stalking

The dictionnaries don´t explain the origin of this word.
We think perhaps it comes from "walking behind a star, a celebrity"?
(just like moon walking?)

Stalkers follow, watch or chat up other persons.
They following the person to certain places, to see where they live or what the person does.
They find out personal and private information, telephone numbers, details on computers,..

When this gets too much it is a crime!

black sheep

Black sheep is a word for an "odd" member of a family:

...a loser, a very naughty boy....
In herds of sheep - when a black lamb is born into a herd of white sheep - you cannot use its wool!
In earlier times black sheep were seen as "the mark of the devil".

But be sure: every black sheep can turn into a winner - it takes some effort and goood luck :-)

Fidget

We came across the word when we were talking about "Zappelphilipp" in German:

the online dictionary then showed us the word "fidget":

It is a person who behaves or moves nervously or restlessly, who plays or fusses.
Well, we know such persons from classes, don´t we?

Smoothie

A smoothie is a chilled, sweet drink made from fresh fruit.

You press and mix fruit like strawberries, abricots, peaches and add crushed ice, frozen fruit or frozen. So you get a drink like a milkshake but without milk!
You can add soda.

The word smoothie comes from about 1900: a sweet-talking very polite person!