Word stuff that's come up recently

You are the spit and image of your father.

Reading about this reminded me of finding out that the original saying was that "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." Learned from my advisor in the linguistics dept. at UMass (Roger Higgins)

Never before heard the word 'propinquity.'

propinquity |prəˈpiNGkwətē|

noun1 the state of being close to someone or something; proximity: he kept his distance as though afraid propinquity might lead him into temptation.2 technical close kinship.ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French propinquité, from Latin propinquitas, from propinquus ‘near,’ from prope ‘near to.’
Run the gantlet. I prefer gantlet to gauntlet, as gauntlet always conjures for me an image of a heavy, armored glove. I said as much to a coworker a few weeks ago. Can't understand why I'm not more popular at work.
Maginot Line |ˈmaZHəˌnō, ˈmaj-|a line of defensive fortifications constructed by the French along their eastern border, extending from Switzerland to Luxembourg, between 1929 and 1936. In World War II,although the defenses held, the Germans outflanked them, going through Belgium to conquer France.• [ as noun ] (also Maginot line) an impressive but often ineffectual means of protection or defense: the courts are our Maginot Line against industry.ORIGIN named after André Maginot (1877–1932), a French minister of war. Read this one in Cleaver's book. The secondary meaning bids use.

Language

Comments

[Clancy]

I like this use of "Maginot Line": http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111101164913AAJulBP

[Shannon]

Now I do too.