Duhduhduhnnn.. its... a happy post!
Today I feel waaaay more positive, thanks largely to some of the awesome people on my flist who not only indulge my tantrums but listen and take on board what I am saying. Thank you <3
The smallest thing can reassure you sometimes. And it has. And I'm grateful.
I'm also hugely relieved because - somewhat miraculously - I finished alllll my studying for the next few weeks. I am utterly exhausted from an insane month or so, but as of about four o'clock today, I'm on holiday! A much needed one in which I intend to do such revolutionary things as sleep, read for interest, listen to music and cook some damn good vegan italian food. I may even leave the house and get my yearly dose of Vitamin D...
Anyway, as a little treat for your awesomeness, here is another etymology post. I know how you enjoy them.
This week's subject of interest: Guinea Pigs! For two reasons: one should be obvious, and the other, the simple awesomeness of the German name.
From Wiki:
"The scientific name of the common species is Cavia porcellus, with porcellus being Latin for "little pig".
How the animals came to be thought of as "pigs" is not clear. They are built somewhat like pigs, with large heads relative to their bodies, stout necks, and rounded rumps with no tail of any consequence; some of the sounds they emit are very similar to those made by pigs, and they also spend a large amount of time eating [I can testify as to the truth of that part].
The animal's name carries porcine connotations in many European languages. The German word for them is Meerschweinchen, literally "little sea pigs". (The Polish świnka morska and Russian морская свинка mean exactly the same.) This derives from nautical history: sailing ships stopping to reprovision in the New World would pick up stores of guinea pigs, which provided an easily transportable source of fresh meat; Meerschwein is German for porpoise, which was another food source for sailors. The French term is Cochon d'Inde (Indian pig); the Dutch used to call it guinees biggetje (Guinean piglet) or Spaanse rat (Spanish rat) in some dialects, and in Portuguese the guinea pig is sometimes referred to as porquinho da Índia (little Indian pig). This is not universal; for example, the common word in Spanish is conejillo de Indias (little rabbit of India / the Indies).
The origin of "guinea" in "guinea pig" is harder to explain. One theory is that the animals were brought to Europe by way of Guinea, leading people to think they had originated there."Guinea" was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, and so the name may simply be a colorful reference to the animal's foreignness..."
There ya go kids, not only my closest friends, also an interesting factoid - and apparently a good source of protein.. :s
The smallest thing can reassure you sometimes. And it has. And I'm grateful.
I'm also hugely relieved because - somewhat miraculously - I finished alllll my studying for the next few weeks. I am utterly exhausted from an insane month or so, but as of about four o'clock today, I'm on holiday! A much needed one in which I intend to do such revolutionary things as sleep, read for interest, listen to music and cook some damn good vegan italian food. I may even leave the house and get my yearly dose of Vitamin D...
Anyway, as a little treat for your awesomeness, here is another etymology post. I know how you enjoy them.
This week's subject of interest: Guinea Pigs! For two reasons: one should be obvious, and the other, the simple awesomeness of the German name.
From Wiki:
"The scientific name of the common species is Cavia porcellus, with porcellus being Latin for "little pig".
How the animals came to be thought of as "pigs" is not clear. They are built somewhat like pigs, with large heads relative to their bodies, stout necks, and rounded rumps with no tail of any consequence; some of the sounds they emit are very similar to those made by pigs, and they also spend a large amount of time eating [I can testify as to the truth of that part].
The animal's name carries porcine connotations in many European languages. The German word for them is Meerschweinchen, literally "little sea pigs". (The Polish świnka morska and Russian морская свинка mean exactly the same.) This derives from nautical history: sailing ships stopping to reprovision in the New World would pick up stores of guinea pigs, which provided an easily transportable source of fresh meat; Meerschwein is German for porpoise, which was another food source for sailors. The French term is Cochon d'Inde (Indian pig); the Dutch used to call it guinees biggetje (Guinean piglet) or Spaanse rat (Spanish rat) in some dialects, and in Portuguese the guinea pig is sometimes referred to as porquinho da Índia (little Indian pig). This is not universal; for example, the common word in Spanish is conejillo de Indias (little rabbit of India / the Indies).
The origin of "guinea" in "guinea pig" is harder to explain. One theory is that the animals were brought to Europe by way of Guinea, leading people to think they had originated there."Guinea" was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, and so the name may simply be a colorful reference to the animal's foreignness..."
There ya go kids, not only my closest friends, also an interesting factoid - and apparently a good source of protein.. :s