# Epiphanies about the meanings of words and phrases **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 16, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740 "2006-07-16T15:09:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/61 "2006-07-18T20:38:27Z")
Gyprock is made from gypsum. Nothing to do with ‘Gypsy’. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/62 "2006-07-18T20:49:45Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] Gyprock is made from gypsum. Nothing to do with ‘Gypsy’. [/QUOTE] That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying! ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/63 "2006-07-18T21:14:20Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] **Wow. Perfect example.** I had no clue, and it’s totally obvious.This hadn’t occurred to me either until someone chided me (on this very board, I believe) for using the word. Jeez, I was quoting _The Big Lebowski_. [/QUOTE] So would you say it’s the epitome?? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/64 "2006-07-18T21:22:52Z")
Isn’t “cotton picking” about picking cotton off of the cotton plant, the race of the person doing the picking would be irrelivent, it is just a difficult labourious long winded task. [http://www.wordorigins.org/Words/LetterC/cottonpicking.html](http://www.wordorigins.org/Words/LetterC/cottonpicking.html) Several words I misspronounced in my head when reading epi-tome took a long time to become epit-o-me I thought they were two different words with similar meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/65 "2006-07-18T21:35:49Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] Growing up in a church, I always wondered what the hullaboo was about “youth in Asia”. What, are they not respecting their elders these days? 😃 [/QUOTE] If I ever form another band, may I have “Youth in Asia” as the name? Because that is so _awesome_. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/66 "2006-07-18T22:13:50Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] Isn’t “cotton picking” about picking cotton off of the cotton plant, the race of the person doing the picking would be irrelivent, it is just a difficult labourious long winded task. [http://www.wordorigins.org/Words/LetterC/cottonpicking.html](http://www.wordorigins.org/Words/LetterC/cottonpicking.html) [/QUOTE] Do note that in the reference you cited, it does specifically say that the term has historically been used as a racial epithet, regardless as to whether or not it began that way. That’s because the term “cotton picking” is inexorably tied to the Jim Crow Old South in which the ones actually picking the cotton were expected to be black. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/67 "2006-07-20T12:31:11Z")
I just had one of these. It wasn’t until reading [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7597223&postcount=29) that I realized there was a connection between the words “vigilant” and “vigilante”. Just call me Hawkeye. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/68 "2006-07-20T12:38:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Bippy the Beardless > Isn’t “cotton picking” about picking cotton off of the cotton plant, the race of the person doing the picking would be irrelivent, it is just a difficult labourious long winded task. [http://www.wordorigins.org/Words/Le...tonpicking.html](http://www.wordorigins.org/Words/Le...tonpicking.html) > Do note that in the reference you cited, it does specifically say that the term has historically been used as a racial epithet, regardless as to whether or not it began that way. That’s because the term “cotton picking” is inexorably tied to the Jim Crow Old South in which the ones actually picking the cotton were expected to be black. i strongly suspect that there’s no racist intent to “cotton pickin’” at all. Even the first cite to this phrase above notes that, although “cotton pickers” was used by Joel Chandler Harris, and although black slaves did pick cotton, the form “cotton pickin’” was used first by the Looney Tunes folks. They had no interest in degrading black people or advancing any sort of agenda. What they _did_ have was a need to be funny and a need tio circumvent the censors. I can’t help but notice that “cotton pickin’” has the same number of syllables and the same cadence as “mother fuckin’”, and is used in the same way. I think Looney Tumes folks chose the words because it was as close to having their characters use vulgar language as they could at the time, and this very attempt would be notede by their audience and recognized for what it was, which would make it even funnier. If there was some other set of words they coulod use there, they would (“Rassa frassin’”). Of course, in time those of us who grew up with these cartoons would see “coton pickin’” as perfectly normal, part of the background cultural noise, and not wonder about its significance until later in life. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/69 "2006-07-20T20:05:20Z")
[QUOTE=Webner] I realized one day that incredible literally means “unbelievable” or not-credible, and its meaning gradually changed to just “amazing.” [/QUOTE] Similar dilutions have occurred with fantastic and fabulous. I used to read the word “misled” not knowing what it was, and always wondered what it meant to “misle” (MIGH-zle) somebody. Even though I knew the word when spoken. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/70 "2006-07-20T21:14:04Z")
[QUOTE=CookingWithGas] Similar dilutions have occurred with fantastic and fabulous. [/QUOTE] My most recent word epiphany? Right above! “Fantastic” I knew (related to fantasy). But when I read the above I scratched my head on “fabulous” Then :smack: ahh! Related to fable! It had never occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/71 "2006-07-20T21:35:41Z")
I must have heard a thousand traffic reports mention “bottlenecking” before I got the mental picture of a bunch of cars traveling in several lanes of traffic and then being reduced to one lane, making the traffic on the road look like a bottle. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/72 "2006-07-20T22:00:19Z")
[QUOTE=CookingWithGas] I used to read the word “misled” not knowing what it was, and always wondered what it meant to “misle” (MIGH-zle) somebody. Even though I knew the word when spoken. [/QUOTE] I did the same thing with “segue” for many years. When reading, I pronounced it like it rhymed with “fugue”, but when speaking, I used the correct pronunciation. I knew that both words had the same meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Faruiza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@Faruiza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faruiza)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/73 "2006-07-20T22:54:09Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] although black slaves did pick cotton, the form “cotton pickin’” was used first by the Looney Tunes folks. They had no interest in degrading black people or advancing any sort of agenda. [/QUOTE] I may be wrong here, but this might not be entirely true. Have you seen the “Nazi Youth” Looney Toons bit? Pretty damning in the face of pushing an agenda or departing from the funny. Even for attitudes back then, it’s pretty serious. Also, racism was a little different back then, and promoting a stereotype wasn’t necessarily thought of as “racism”. In reflection, maybe my hijack belongs in GD. Sorry. Carry on! ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/74 "2006-07-20T23:06:43Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] [pedant]Except that sailors reckon the “left” and “right” of a navigable channel by reference to the rising tide, so the port-hand marks would be as you go _up_ the Columbia River. Does this mean Portland ought to be Starboardland? 😃 [/pedant] [/QUOTE] The sailor’s rule on coming into a port is “Red Right Returning” red = port = left - right = starboard = green. Is Portland on the north of the river? If so then yes it should be Starboardland! ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/75 "2006-07-20T23:11:04Z")
My daughter used to beg me to take her for a “Colonal” burger - I didn’t know the restaurant - so she did the directions until we arrived at KFC… ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/76 "2006-07-21T00:13:07Z")
It didn’t occur to me until adulthood what the phrase “to have someone over a barrel” meant in its literal (lewd) sense. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/77 "2006-07-21T00:19:08Z")
[QUOTE=iamthewalrus(:3=] I did the same thing with “segue” for many years. When reading, I pronounced it like it rhymed with “fugue”, but when speaking, I used the correct pronunciation. I knew that both words had the same meaning. [/QUOTE] My mother-in-law pronounces it seg-oo. Consider yourself fortunate. Don’t ask me how many decades it took before I figured out the phrase “It’s always in the last place you look.” to refer to the fact you then stop looking for it. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/78 "2006-07-21T00:26:47Z")
[QUOTE=Kizarvexius] Do note that in the reference you cited, it does specifically say that the term has historically been used as a racial epithet, regardless as to whether or not it began that way. That’s because the term “cotton picking” is inexorably tied to the Jim Crow Old South in which the ones actually picking the cotton were expected to be black. [/QUOTE] Huh? I’ve lived in the rural south most of my life and never heard the term used with racial connotations. Nor, for that matter, was it “expected” that cotton pickers would be black. There were plenty of white sharecroppers and white yeoman farmers out picking cotton. In fact, the onerous task of picking cotton is a shared unpleasant memory for generations of Southerners white and black (including both of my parents, who were raised as farm kids during the Depression). The term _might_ have class connotations, but not racial connotations in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/79 "2006-07-21T00:31:52Z")
Oh yes, and it didn’t occur to me until adulthood that the phrase “left holding the bag” might be a snipe-hunting reference. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740/80 "2006-07-21T00:47:54Z")
Glad I’m not the only one who was convinced “to misle” was a verb. Messed up a quiz early in school when I filled that in as the infinitive of misled. GT [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epiphanies-about-the-meanings-of-words-and-phrases/364740.md?page=5)