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Fun Facts About English #49 – Portmanteau

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In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice that slithy combines the words ‘lithe and slimy’ and mimsy means ‘flimsy and miserable.’ Though Carroll’s fanciful expressions may have lacked linguistic legs, his analogous use of portmanteau, a Middle French term for ‘a large suitcase,’ coined the word as a literary device. In fact, portmanteau is itself a portmanteau that joins porter (to carry) and manteau (cloak)! A synonym and itself a portmanteau, frankenword is an autological word exemplifying the very word it describes.

Portmanteau words are very popular in modern-day English and new combinations can manifest from any social corner. Many older words have become so common that their timely origins are forgotten and their novelty has long since worn off. Here is a short list of common portmanteaux in order of their known appearance.

  • gerrymander – Governor Elbridge Gerry + salamander; early 19th century
  • brunch – breakfast + lunch; late 19th century
  • Eurasia – Europe + Asia; 1881
  • electrocution – electricity + execution; 1889
  • motorcade – motor + cavalcade; early 20th century
  • smog – smoke + fog; early 20th century
  • spork – spoon + fork; 1909
  • hangry – hungry + angry; 1918
  • Chunnel – channel + tunnel; 1920s
  • motel – motor + hotel; 1920s
  • meld – melt + weld; 1930s
  • ginormous – gigantic + enormous; 1948
  • frenemy – friend + enemy; 1950s
  • rockabilly – rock’n’roll + hill-billy; 1950s
  • televangelist – television + evangelist; 1958
  • bionic – biology + electronic; 1960s
  • workaholic – work + alcoholic; 1968
  • internet – inter [reciprocal] + network; 1970s
  • Microsoft – microcomputer + software; 1975
  • gaydar – gay + radar; 1980s
  • carjack – car + hijack; 1990s
  • cosplay – costume + play; 1990s
  • emoticon – emotion + icon; 1990s
  • metrosexual – metropolitan + heterosexual; 1990s
  • adorkable – adorable + dorky; 21st century
  • anticipointment – anticipation + disappointment; 21st century
  • Brangelina – Brad + Angelina; 21st century
  • bromance – brother + romance; 21st century
  • mansplain – man + explain; 21st century
  • advertainment – advertisement + entertainment; 21st century
  • permalance – permanent + freelance; 21st century

If you enjoyed reading this post, check out these posts on fossilized words, the problem with peas, or eponyms named after notorious personalities!

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Fun Facts About English #50 – The History of Hello

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Fun Facts About English 50 Kinney Brothers Publishing

On July 18, 1877, Thomas Alva Edison shouted “Halloo!” into the mouthpiece of his newly invented strip phonograph, a word commonly used to incite hounds to the chase. It’s linguistic cousins, hilla, hillo, and halloa, served the same purpose for hailing someone or something from a distance. The British “hullo,” which also dates from the mid-19th century, was likewise not used as a greeting but as an expression of surprise, as in “Hullo, what have we here?”

As hard as it is to imagine, before the invention of the telephone in 1876, “hello” wasn’t a proper or even casual greeting whatsoever!

Although Alexander Graham Bell is credited with inventing the telephone, it was Thomas Edison’s company that equipped the device and supplied the first operating manuals across the United States. For its early subscribers, the telephone was nothing more than a permanently open line without even a “call bell” to request engagement. In a standoff between the two inventors, Mr. Bell insisted the nautical address “Ahoy” was the correct way a “caller” should get the attention of a person on the other end of the line. Mr. Edison preferred “Hello” be put in the instructions along with “That is all” for ending an exchange. Edison reasoned that “Hello” could be heard from a distance of 10-20 feet and was better than calling out “Are you there?” or the receiver simply asking, “What is it that you want?”

By the time of the National Convention of Telephone Companies in 1880, “Hello” had won out. Minutes from the meeting record the president as saying, “The shortest speech that I could make to you and that would express a great deal to you, probably would be the one that is on all your badges – Hello!”

If you enjoyed this bit of history, you may also enjoy the story of American spelling bees, the history of the word dude, or what the word paddywhack from This Old Man actually means!

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Fun Facts About English #23 – Ampersand

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Fun Facts About English 23 Kinney Brothers Publishing

Maybe it would be better to say, “the & glyph was per se the 27th ‘character’ included with the alphabet.”

variations on the ampersand

In Latin, the ampersand represents a cursive combination of the two letters E and T and is pronounced et, or and in English. Around the time when Old English was shedding its runic characters and adopting the Latin alphabet, the & ligature arrived as part of the orthographic package, and to this day continues to be used to represent the word and.

19th Century ABC poster
Early 19th-century alphabet chart.

Why is called an ampersand?

The ampersand was included in schoolbooks as the 27th letter of the English alphabet until the mid 19th century. It was understood not as a vowel or consonant, but as a useful symbol, added to the hind end of the alphabet, and simply known as and. Today, when we recite the ABCs, we often say “X, Y, and Z.” Two centuries ago, children’s chants included and (&) as the last letter. To say “X, Y, Z, and and” was a bit awkward, so the Latin phrase per se – meaning “by or in itself “- was inserted. In recitations, it sounded like this: X, Y, Z, and per se and (&). Eventually, and-per-se-and slurred into ampersand, a mondegreen that we use today.

By the late 1800s, the word ampersand also became a slang term for “rear end, posterior, or the buttocks.” Over time, the & glyph was de-classified within the alphabet, its usage decreased, and today is often frowned upon when used in modern writing.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also be interested in the awesome history of dude or the origins of paddywhack from the song, “This Old Man!” Check out why the word rooster is a preferred euphemism in the United States!

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Fun Facts About English #4 – Flutterby or Butterfly?

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Fun Facts About English 4 Kinney Brothers Publishing

The short answer is – likely not.

Firstly, why is a ‘butterfly’ called a ‘butterfly’? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, though the etymology is quite old, the reason for its name is unknown. However, two possible derivations are offered. 1) The word is from the Anglo-Saxon butterfleoge (literally, butterfly) so-called after the yellow species of Papilionoidea. 2) Butterflies were on the wing in meadows during the spring and summer butter season while the grass was growing.

If you’re a believer in the tales of old wives or fairies, there’s the notion that butterflies are witches in disguise who consume butter that is left uncovered. As for the word ‘flutterby,’ it’s been suggested that it’s simply the case of a child’s habit of transposing syllables, like ‘basketti’ for spaghetti, and ‘pillercat’ for caterpillar.

Literary references to ‘flutterby’ are very few. One example is from Nonsense, an 1867 book by American journalist, Marcus M. (Brick) Pomeroy:

Beautiful as a flutterby,
And none could compare
With my pretty little charmer
And her rich, wavy hair.

Whether butterfly or flutterby, there’s no reason both can’t be used. To those who object, you can simply state, “You’re not the boss of me.” The flying insect has also been used as a colorful metaphor and apropos descriptor for a very long time. They include:

  • Vain and gaudy attire – 1600
  • A transformation from a lowly state – 1806
  • A type of mechanical nut – 1869
  • Flitting tendencies – 1873
  • One-act play Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan, New York – 1900
  • Socially extroverted female (opposite of wallflower)
  • Anxiety, nervousness – 1908
  • A swimming stroke – 1935
  • Predictability; cause and effect – 1972

Interested in more posts about peculiar words? Check out the awesome history of the word dude, why Americans prefer the word rooster, or what the word jaywalker actually means!

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Check out A Telling Story Productions on Youtube or Donald’s English Classroom for audio readings of some of your favorite fairy tales! They’re great for storytime, bedtime, and when traveling with kids!