barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) (02/24/85)
The older meaning of prove (to test) survived in the phrase Proving Grounds, where airplanes are tested. Similarly the old meaning of "let" (meaning to stop, rather than to permit) survived in the phrase "let ball" in tennis, a ball that hits the net and bounces onto the other side of the court rather than flying freely over the net. Sometimes these old phrases get reinterpreted or even altered as words change meaning. For instance there's the phrase "stark naked" which was originally "start naked." "Start" is an obsolete term for "tail" or "buttocks" (for instance, there's a bird called the "redstart" which has a red tail). So "start naked" meant "bare assed," but when "start dropped out of usage, the phr ase got changed to "stark naked." --Lee Gold
jeff@rtech.ARPA (Jeff Lichtman) (03/01/85)
> > Sometimes these old phrases get reinterpreted or even altered as words > change meaning. For instance there's the phrase "stark naked" which was > originally "start naked." > > --Lee Gold In the phrase "spit and image", "spit" is an archaic usage meaning "exact copy". I've heard and seen "spittin' image", and even "spitting image" (it's good not to drop one's g's, but how can one drop it when it wasn't there in the first place?). -- Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.) aka Swazoo Koolak