NPR: On Words with John Ciardi
Ever wondered where this word or that phrase comes from? The late poet laureate John Ciardi uncovers historical interpretations in this series from the Morning Edition archives.
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Rhombus
One can trace, as poet/historian John Ciardi does, the word "rhombus" back through its Latin and Greek origins. But to do so would be futile without acknowledging the relevance of a once-common childhood toy.
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Folk Etymology: Capricious Associations
In this week's pick from the word garden, etymologist John Ciardi explains how "folk word formations" occur in the least-expected ways, and result in some of the most beautiful -- and unfortunate -- nomenclature seen in any language.
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Billion: U.S. and European Meanings
"Billion" is, in amateur numerologist John Ciardi's reckoning, "a word that seems to have been born confused." He zeroes in on the numerical discrepancies that may cause further confusion for those venturing to the other side of the Atlantic.
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Ciardi Traces Root of His Name
John Ciardi traces the illustrious history of his own last name, from its roots as a German surname through Longbeard detours, twisted with a sound shift or two. Let's do him a favor and pronounce his name correctly.
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Pirates' Jolly Roger: Origin
Where does our traditional image of the pirate flag come from, if there is no recorded history of its actual use? John Ciardi dons an eyepatch and peg leg to find out whether the skull-and-crossbones emblem was really just counterfeit.
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Kilkenny Cats, Accolade: Origins
Poet and semantic swordsman John Ciardi resurrects another expression from the vaults of time and memory -- "to fight like Kilkenny cats" -- and applies this dueling simile to a word whose history is not as harmonious as it seems.
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Dunmow Flitch: Life of Married Bliss
Bacon, or its variants, appears in a number of common British idioms, but none is so important to civil society, apparently, as the "dunmow flitch," according to etymologist and carnivore John Ciardi. He traces the history of this phrase, as well as its implications for his own matrimonial bliss.
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Siwash: Origin and Use of Tribe Name
The long and storied history of the name "Siwash" is detailed in this installment, from its origins as a French term of not-so-endearment to common adjective to collegial cheer. As John Ciardi amply demonstrates, tracing the path of a word over time can be like following the trail of a log through a ...
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Coprolite, Kelemenopy: Word Use Proposed
When John Ciardi isn't exploring the fossilized remnants of words, he is either dredging up new uses for old ones or coining his own neologisms. Witness "coprolite," a little-used term he dusts off for modern, metaphorical usage. Or "kelemenopy," an alphabetical oddity our word wizard creates out of ...
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Words Embellished by Ad Industry
What's in a name? When it comes to products on the market, suggests John Ciardi, it may boil down to whatever sells. Whether it's the "Hudson seal" coat made from an imaginary animal, or "German silver tableware" that is neither German nor silver, savvy advertisers have used language not just to inf ...
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Leading Apes in Hell: Phrase Explained
This week's segment answers a profound question for the ages: Was John Ciardi a male chauvinist? Our dogged didacticist ponders the hypothetical origins of a phrase, "leading apes in hell," that has traditionally been used in the context of the longest-running conflict of all time: the battle of the ...
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Benefit of Clergy, Nose Stitch: Origins
John Ciardi stitches together the curious origins of two nearly forgotten phrases: the "benefit of clergy," and the "nose stitch." The former once was useful in saving one's skin, especially when accused of a crime punishable by death. But if death is inevitable, come heaven or high seas, there's no ...
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Tiu (God): Root of Many Words
John Ciardi recounts a fascinating story of "history in English words," reconstructing a hypothesized pan-European legend through its scattered remnants in various languages. The root of all supreme deities -- at least on the Continent, it seems -- is one simple syllable.
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Thieves' Slang: Etymology Updated
Shots with good drift sense don't need stalls on the whiz to lift a score: Thieves' translator John Ciardi takes the listener on an informative tour of then-contemporary pickpocketers' cant, courtesy of a newspaper clipping.
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Pink: Word Derived from Flower
Whether you are a pinko, in the pink, or just like a lighter shade of red, John Ciardi will illuminate for you the origins of a word that once had no connection to the color of imaginary elephants.
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Psaphon: Ancient Greek, 1st Ad Campaign
This week, John Ciardi turns his etymological prowess to Greek mythology, tracing the history of Psaphon's audacious attempt to make himself known across the land. The result, he explains, was the first ad campaign.
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Culprit, Inchoate: Origins
John Ciardi maintains that to truly know a word, you must discover its roots. This week he applies this axiom to both "culprit" and "inchoate," along the way imploring teachers not to forget the origins of words when seeking to expand their students' inchoate vocabularies. Mr. Ciardi's own English t ...
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Kangaroo: Origin
John Ciardi, the self-avowed "word freak," narrates a tale of first contact that resulted in the word "kangaroo." Contrary to popular belief, he explains, the word arose as the product of a misunderstanding. In that precarious moment, even a sneeze could acquire unintended meaning.
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Piggy Bank: Origin of Term
Piggy banks have their uses, as repositories for a young child's precious savings cache, and as illustrations of the evolution of word meanings. John Ciardi presents another "word ramble," tracing the development of the word "pig" from its ceramic roots to modern-day usage. In doing so, he shows tha ...
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Cant: Derivation, Modern Jargon
"Cant," as in the Latin "canare," has come to signify a special kind of in-group jargon. How did a word originally meaning "to sing" transform into a description of insular vocabularies like thieves' slang? And what other examples of cant have survived to this day? John Ciardi listens in.
NPR: On Words with John Ciardi
