Post AVESNfD3uStyFtdwoa by hugovk@mastodon.social
 (DIR) More posts by hugovk@mastodon.social
 (DIR) Post #AVDuxcVG3Lc5qR7zzE by grammargirl@zirk.us
       2023-05-01T21:27:14Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       In many languages, the word for "bear" is descriptive because people were superstitious about saying the actual name. Translations:Welsh: honey-pigIrish: the good calfLithuanian: the lickerRussian: one who leads to honeyGermanic: the brown onehttps://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/b/Bear.htm#etymology #linguistics #bears #euphemisms #superstition
       
 (DIR) Post #AVDvGAIx7P51tIDPSy by mvaneerde@tooting.ch
       2023-05-01T21:30:13Z
       
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       @grammargirl relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/2381/ #RelevantXkcd
       
 (DIR) Post #AVDvTXaJsIY7rDiU88 by grammargirl@zirk.us
       2023-05-01T21:33:05Z
       
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       @mvaneerde 🤣
       
 (DIR) Post #AVDwbqdv08TBEfvPQ8 by nilesjohnson@mathstodon.xyz
       2023-05-01T21:45:43Z
       
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       @grammargirl @mvaneerde amazing.  The current wikipedia article also says this may be the earliest known euphemism.  That's a little hard to believe, but I'm no expert.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear
       
 (DIR) Post #AVDwjX5LbFF0taQ2G8 by nilesjohnson@mathstodon.xyz
       2023-05-01T21:47:08Z
       
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       @grammargirl @mvaneerde lol, that's @gretchenmcc
       
 (DIR) Post #AVDxMTo9ibRM1bwuFU by miblo@mas.to
       2023-05-01T21:54:06Z
       
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       @grammargirl Nice! Susie Dent has done the Modern English etymology of this a bunch of times on Countdown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countdown_(game_show)That Lithuanian translation "the licker", though! Susie tells it that our expression "to lick into shape" came from a superstition that bears are born as basically a blob that must be literally licked into bear shape by their mum. I never realised (and wonder if she knows) that this is in the Lithuanian word for them…
       
 (DIR) Post #AVE957aOHjXVdE03Zw by grammargirl@zirk.us
       2023-05-02T00:05:33Z
       
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       @miblo Nice!
       
 (DIR) Post #AVE96rqllGoRPIUf6O by grammargirl@zirk.us
       2023-05-02T00:05:49Z
       
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       @nilesjohnson @mvaneerde @gretchenmcc I thought it might be!
       
 (DIR) Post #AVE9KLBC1iIA8RTGMa by grammargirl@zirk.us
       2023-05-02T00:08:11Z
       
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       @jrp I've been to Ireland and Wales for a couple of days each, but not the others.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVESNfD3uStyFtdwoa by hugovk@mastodon.social
       2023-05-02T03:41:46Z
       
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       @grammargirl Here's 211 names for the bear in Finnish 🐻 🇫🇮https://hugovk.github.io/finnish-bear-words/
       
 (DIR) Post #AVEW5W0jltjoKWTpdg by grammargirl@zirk.us
       2023-05-02T04:23:19Z
       
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       @hugovk Wow! I think "Deep-forest gentleman" and "sooty boy" are my favorites.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVGxjDC0F7hSczp4CG by _davidobrien@toot.community
       2023-05-03T08:42:25Z
       
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       @grammargirl Maybe that's why in Mandarin they say "tree bear" (koala) and "pocket mouse" (kangaroo) :)