chutzpah

Why is someone with shameless audacity said to have chutzpah?

Balls, cheek, nerve, brass — all synonyms for this wonderfully phlegmy Yiddish word defined by lexicographer Leo Rosten as "that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan." With etymological roots going as far back as the Aramaic ḥu ṣpā evolving into the Hebrew verb khátsap “to be insolent,” we are gifted with this decidedly Jewish term whose phonetic quality itself exudes well-warranted disgust.

Varient spellings: chutzpa, hutzpah, hutzpa

Etymological journey: ḥu ṣpā (Aramaic) → khátsap, hutspah (Heb.) → khutspe (Yiddish)

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pot (cannabis)

Why is marijuana sometimes called pot?

Pot is most likely a shortening of the Mexican Spanish word potiguaya, "marijuana leaves."

   

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alcohol

Alcohol comes from the Arabic word al-kuhl, meaning "the kohl." Kohl (antimony sulfide) is a black powder that was widely used as eye makeup in the Middle East around 800 A.D.

Kohl is the earliest known distillate. When a curious Arab set out to determine what exactly was in wine that made it so intoxicating, he distilled al-kuhl as part of his experiments and ended up with a highly refined spirit.

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adult vs. adultery

Yes, technically adultery is committed by adults, but the connection between these two words ends there.

Adultery comes from the Latin word adulterare, "to pollute or corrupt," while adult comes from the Latin verb adolescere, meaning "to grow up."

adolescere = to grow up

adolescens (present tense) = grows up

adultus (past tense) = grew up


So there you go — an adult is someone who has finished growing up, and an adulterer is someone who pollutes or corrupts.

The air pollution in Manhattan is horrendous.
There must be a lot of adulterers there...

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beef (wipeout)

Why is someone who has taken a bad fall said to have beefed?

Especially common in skater vernacular, the term beef—meaning a bad fall or wipeout—comes from the original sense of slaughtering an animal for beef, a similarly gruesome outcome.

(Skater majorly beefs.)

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beef (complaint)

Where did such phrases as "to have a beef with someone" or "what's your beef?" ever arise?

This one remains a minor etymological mystery. Beef, meaning "a complaint," can be traced back to the original slang to cut a beef, likewise denoting the act of complaining. But our knowledge of the term ends there.

It has been suggested that the beef in question alludes to the "bone of contention" from which it was cut.

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basket case

Why is an overly emotional, frantic person sometimes called a basket case?

The term basket case originated in the U.S. military to denote someone (esp. a soldier) who had lost all four limbs and was therefore unable to move independently. The term was later broadened to include those who could not support themselves emotionally or mentally.

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pencil skirt

This slim-fitting skirt is named for its pencil-straight appearance. The designer Christian Dior originally used the term "H-line" to describe its shape, distinguishing it from the full-skirted "A-line" style (after the relative shapes of the letters "H" and "A").

    

(Two examples of contemporary pencil skirts.)

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