by Roseanna White | Nov 21, 2011 | Word of the Week
The other day as I was writing in my work-in-progress, I hit a spot where my heroine’s mother is pushing an eligible man toward the heroine (metaphorically, or course, LOL), and my heroine reminds her that she is all but engaged–to which Mama says, “It never hurts to have a backup plan.”
But wait–a warning bell went of in my mind.
Backup plan. Was that too modern for 1861? A quick hop over to
www.etymonline.com and I knew that, yep, it was
way too modern.
Back up dates from 1767, but in the sense of “stand behind and support.” This is the verb use, what someone does for you or that you do to corroborate facts, perhaps. Evidence will back up a theory, that sort of thing.
The noun form meaning “standby, reserve” didn’t come to us until 1954.
But this was one of those that left me staring at the computer with lips pursed and thoughts racing. How in the world could Mama phrase this, then? I ended up using “secondary.” But it’s obvious I need a better backup plan for when I can’t use “backup plan.” 😉
by Roseanna White | Nov 7, 2011 | Word of the Week
I like the word “kid.” I use it with my children (do you know how hard it was for me to write that sentence without using the word “kid”? LOL), I use it for jests. It’s a standard part of my vocabulary. But I’ll never forget the substitute teacher in high school who said something about how his children were not young goats, so thank you not to use that word. And one of my critique partners recently caught me using it in the joking sense well before it would have been.
It seemed time to look it up. =)
“Kid” entered English with the meaning of “a young goat” round about 1200. It began being applied to children in 1590, though it was still slang at that point. It was accepted usage, however, by 1840 . . . and had in fact been a word used to describe skillful young thieves for 30 years before that. (One I didn’t know!)
The meaning of “playful tease” is from 1839 (which proves that it was a well accepted slang by then) and comes from the idea of “making a kid of, treating as a child.” Though those thieving youngsters used it to mean “coax, wheedle, hoax.”
So there you have it–a brief explanation of why we now kid our kids. 😉
On a side note, many of you know about the amazing author Sandi Rog and her battle with cancer this past year. If you haven’t heard yet about the fundraiser put together for her, please check it out at
www.FundraiserForSandiRog.blogspot.com. It’s a really fun raffle with lots of prize “baskets” you can bid on with your donations, and you’ll find two that I helped put together, one of which is featured on the blog now,
here. (The other isn’t up on the site yet, but keep tuned in for updates!)
Please check this out and tell all your friends about it–it’s not only a fun chance to win some great prizes, but most of all it’s a way to help a wonderful woman who needs your prayers and support.
by Roseanna White | Oct 31, 2011 | Word of the Week
I’ve given Halloween a lot of thought since having kids, have debated it and pondered, have looked up its history and tried to decide where I come down on it. Inevitably, I come to the conclusion that, like a Christmas tree or the face of Jesus most often used (stolen from Zeus, if you didn’t know, LOL), it has its roots in paganism, yes. But like a Christmas tree or how I envision my Savior, it’s about my heart, not any outward appearances.
That said, I still find the history fascinating. This is me, after all. 😉 And since this is me, chances are good that all the times I’ve looked this up and read about it have turned into a bit of a story in my mind, so if I get something wrong, don’t hold it against me, LOL. I’m going on memory here, along with the history of the word itself given by
www.etymonline.com. =)
Halloween is a Scottish shortening of “Allhallow-Even.” Literally, the Eve of All Hallow’s Day. We don’t use the word “hallow” much these days, but it means “holy, consecrated.” More, it means to make something holy or consecrated. So when we pray “hallowed be thy name,” we are saying WE will make it, keep it holy.
Now, in the Celtic calendar, this was the last night of the old year, a witch’s night. When the Christians came in, they “hallowed” the day–they deemed that that was the day when they would pay respect to all the saints not otherwise honored on a given day.
Needless to say, this wasn’t a seamless transition. Christianity obviously was not embraced overnight, and whether one observed the old Celtic rituals or the new Christian ones was a cause of great strife. Fear. Panic. And sometimes death.
Halloween was serious business. People honestly believed ghosts and ghouls and witches would be on the prowl, hunting their souls–and they may have been right. So they prayed, and they called on the traditions that hadn’t quite gotten washed away yet–they tried to scare the evil off by carving faces in gourds, and by dressing up in costumes meant to trick and scare the tricksters. (Or so I’ve gleaned from various sites . . . don’t quote me on this, LOL.) It’s a time when we reflect on those who have gone on before us (the actual meaning of these “saints”) and so remember the dead.
There are Christians aplenty who refuse to acknowledge Halloween, and I understand why. It is indeed a night when tradition says evil comes out–but it’s also a night whose traditions that are still in effect come to us because people want to fight, want to escape that evil. Like any holiday, it’s about finding the sacred, the holy, and washing the darkness with light. Making it hallowed.
Whether or not your family goes trick-or-treating, I wish you all a safe day and eve, and pray that the Lord’s light will illumine your path.
by Roseanna White | Oct 24, 2011 | Word of the Week
I’ve studied Ancient Greek. As in, took 2 years of the language, in addition to reading a slew of the texts. So things Ancient Greek I like–and tend to use. And assume I know pretty well. 😉
And so, I’ve never hesitated to use the word “kudos” in a historical manuscript because, well, I know it’s directly from the Greek. I know it’s old.
But apparently the English didn’t pick up on this fun word until 1799. Sigh. 😉
Kudos, taken directly from Greek (if altered slightly because of a non-meshing of the alphabets), means “fame, renown.” Though it may sound plural to an English speaker with that -s ending, it is in fact singular.
When kudos first entered our language, it was in academic circles only–among those who would have read the Greek, go figure. =) But by the 1920s, journalists had picked up on it and began to use it in articles, which entered it into the mainstream.
And to give kudos where it’s due, I’d love to direct everyone to the
Colonial Quill Anniversary Celebration today! We’re especially celebrating the releases of two members’ books this month, but also the founding of our oh-so-delightful Colonial group blog. Please stop by and join in our e-party. =)
Oh! And though I’m
not sharing this for the kudos (tee hee hee), I just learned that
Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland is RT Book Reviews’ Top Pick for Inspirationals for December! So exciting!!
by Roseanna White | Oct 17, 2011 | Word of the Week
Yesterday in the car, I looked out at the bright blue sky and had a Mr. Roger’s moment–I started singing “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and my daughter asked, “Why’s is called a neighborhood? Does it have anything to do with the hood of a coat?”
I’d never paused to ponder this -hood suffix, but naturally her question made me curious, so I came home and looked it up. =)
Prior to the 14th century, instead of hood we had hade, which was a free-standing word that meant “person, individual, character, individuality; condition, state, nature; sex, race, family, tribe.” Wow, right? Quite a list. Round about the 1300s hade made the change to hood and narrowed in meaning to “condition, position,” though its literal meaning has ties to brightness and quality.
So, in fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with the now-freestanding hood of a coat, which is from an entirely different root word that means, simply, “covering.” Which is a shame, because Xoe and I had come up with a nice little reason for the word to be used in such totally different ways. 😉
by Roseanna White | Oct 10, 2011 | Word of the Week
It’s always baffling when I think to look up a word that I take for granted and realize that it’s a relatively new addition to the English language. I had this experience with the words fiancee/fiance a couple years ago, when I first began writing Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland. My characters are engaged at the beginning. The year is 1783.
But she isn’t his fiancee. Nope, that word didn’t come into use until 1853. And interestingly, the male version “fiance” didn’t follow until 1864. An eleven year gap between calling the woman a fiancee and the man a fiance! Interesting, isn’t it?
This seems like an incredibly late addition to me . . . at least when I consider how many stories I have that take place prior to 1864. 😉 It took me a good long while to figure out how to get around that one in a way that sounds natural.
But no fear–we still have options. “Intended” and “betrothed” are legit. So in
Annapolis, for instance, Lark fights with her intended in the first chapter. And later in the book Emerson chases after his betrothed. (Not that those are gender specific, mind you.)
Yet another example of how learning something was at first a pain . . . but you know, it actually helped me create the voice I needed for the time period, so I’m glad to I thought to look it up. =) It’s the little things that make a voice. 😉
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.