(Untitled)

[wwidsith]

 1.  Have a go at this.  You have to guess the most common words in English.  It's surprisingly tricky....I scored 51, so let me know if you kick my ass, or, indeed, arse.  I'll give you a clue: "dendrochronology" is NOT one of them.  I know!

2.  The most expensive book I've ever bought arrived this morning.  It's the Folio Society deluxe limited

Comments

[rag_and_bone]

hey smart guy (i got 37, wah, wah): can you help me with the etymology of the word "partner" as a term for loved one/spouse/significant other?

[wwidsith]

Hmm, well "partner" goes back to the 13th century...it's not clear exactly where it came from, but current best guess is that it's an alteration of the earlier word "parcener" (changed by confusion with "part"). It goes back to the same Latin root as words like "partition" -- the basic sense is of "someone with whom you share something".

Using it to describe a love interest is much more recent though. The earliest citation in the OED is from Milton's Paradise Lost (1667):

I stand Before my Judge, either to undergoe
My self the total Crime, or to accuse
My other self, the partner of my life.

[rag_and_bone]

interesting...

any idea about its use in the gay community as a stand-in for married terms we can't legally use?

[ruakh]

I got 56, which probably isn't enough to constitute ass-kicking, but is enough for me to mention it. :-)

[wwidsith]

Niiiice.

roman lincoln

[ruakh]

why oh why given the amazing age of the gates into the city of Lincoln is traffic STILL allowed to drive through them?

Having asked the same question for the last 40 years don't even bother trying to think up a sensible answer!