we're suckers for a really good story
i find myself constantly reminding friends that «extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence» and asking them to constantly apply the «baloney detection kit» not just regarding what we hear, see, read daily on radio, television, in print, at work or at play but also what we already think we know and have learned. as you might know from my very first entry in this blog such examination and use of critical thinking is a way of life. and so it is that in the company of friends and aquaintances, i have a most brilliant time clearing cobwebs and discovering truths old and new .but where does one turn to for the... ammunition required? well, in matters regarding the english language one is fortunate to have the work of the splendid michael quinion and as of 01 july a new series on myths about our language in which he examines the outlandish stories that surround english words and phrases - and explains the truth behind them.
«you're with a friend and you start talking about language, probably because one of you has just uttered an expression that you've never thought about before, like one fell swoop or dressed to the nines. your friend tells you an interesting story about where the saying comes from, such as that the word honeymoon derives from an old persian custom of giving the happy couple mead for the first month after the wedding, or that a hooker is so called after the camp followers who flocked around the headquarters of the american civil war general joseph hooker.
well, you believe it, don't you? who wouldn't? the story is convincing, often backed up with extraneous but significant detail. and you have nothing to measure it against. it all sounds very reasonable. at the next opportunity, you mention the story to somebody else. each time you do so, or hear somebody else repeat it, the tale becomes more familiar. after a while, it's as though you have always known it. we're suckers for a really good story...»
if i told you that cop is really an acronym for constable on patrol and a tip is money given to a waiter to insure promptness you would indeed believe me, wouldn't you?
i think you best make certain you also know how the bee got his knees!
