Monday, July 9, 2018

Greetings Infomaniacs,

In William Shakespeare's play 'Romeo and Juliet', Juliet famously asks: "What's in a name?"

The names we give things sometimes have origins we never would have guessed. But they're fun to learn!

Enjoy!

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "So difficult it is to show the various meanings and imperfections of words when we have nothing else but words to do it with."

HINT: (1632-1704), English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism".

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RANDOM TIDBITS
The word cheap comes from Cheapside, a market in London. The Old English word was ceap (pronounced "keep"), which meant "to sell or barter." Because Cheapside was a major market where people went to barter for low prices, the word gradually took on a new pronunciation, and meaning.

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The word denim comes from Nimes, France. The tough cloth used in jeans was also made in Nimes. It was called serge di Nimes - later shortened to di nimes, which became denim.

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The word coffee comes from Kaffa, Ethopia. According to legend, coffee beans were first discovered in the town of Kaffa. By the 13th century, the Kaffa beans had traveled, becoming qahwah in Arabia, cafe in Europe, and finally coffee in the New World.

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The word cologne comes from Cologne, Germany. The scented water that was produced there beginning in 1709 was named for the city.

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The word slave comes from Slavonia, Yugoslavia. After large parts of Slavonia were subjugated by Europeans in the Middle Ages, a Slav became synonymous with someone who lived in servitude. Eventually Slav became slave.

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The word turquoise comes from Turkey/Europe. Turquoise comes from a number of places, but it was probably first imported to Europe from Turkey. So it was called turquoise, which means "Turkish stone."




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*** Weekly Mind-Scrambler ***
Phil asks his friend Stan when his birthday is. Stan replies that he was 32 the day before yesterday, and next year he'll be 35. When is his birthday and how is this possible?

Submit your answer by clicking: TheDailyTease

Answer will be posted in Friday's Trivia Today. Good Luck! If your name appears in Friday's newsletter, EMAIL MICHELE your complete name and address to be shipped your prize.

Be sure to put "Winner" in the subject line.

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "So difficult it is to show the various meanings and imperfections of words when we have nothing else but words to do it with."

ANSWER: John Locke.