Editor's Corner

Dear Editrix,

I have heard the phrase “under the weather” all my life and I know it typically means that someone is not feeling well. Are there any other meanings that differ and where did the phrase originate?

Sincerely,

Christy

Dear Christy,

Indeed, the term “under the weather” is an English phrase that means someone is feeling sick. I didn’t find any different meanings for the idiom, but I did find the origin.

Several sites provided a similar answer about its history, but I liked the one from the Farmers’ Almanac the best because they said they love learning phrases about the weather. It also references Richard Lederer, whose articles I share with y’all now and then.

Linguist Richard Lederer tells us that “under the weather,” meaning, feeling ill, comes from the language of sailors.

On the high seas when the wind would start to blow hard and the water became rough, crewmen and travelers would go below deck and down to their cabins to ride out the storm and avoid becoming seasick. In this way they literally retreat to a location “under the weather.”

In digging a little further, we find out more. According to Salty Dog Talk: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions, by Bill Beavis and Richard G. McCloskey, the term in its entirety is “under the weather bow;” they tell us the weather bow is “the side [of the ship] upon which all the rotten weather is blowing.”

I hope that you have a great day and that you stay above the weather!

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Today’s Editor’s Corner is dedicated to my good friend Edith, who I miss horribly even though she just lives about ½ mile from us. Get away ye evil COVID! We miss our friends!

I have, again, another excerpt from Even-Steven and Fair and Square: More Stories Behind the Words by Morton S. Freeman. Today’s passage is about cobalt.

Cobalt is a hard, brittle metallic element resembling nickel and iron in appearance. In German, the name Kobolt meant an underground goblin, “a silver stealer,” whose habitat was the veins in silver ore.

Scientists in the Middle Ages determined that arsenic found in cobalt-containing ores could cause ulceration of the feet and hands of miners. The unlearned people of that time went a step further. They contended that the gnome Kobalt (a variant spelling) was found in cobalt and that its proximity to silver ores harmed them. How wrong that folk belief was! Today cobalt appears in the Periodic Table of the Elements—atomic number 27—a noninjurious element that happily has proved useful to mankind in many ways.

The five-cent coin, commonly called a nickel and made of nickel and copper alloy, also was named after a goblin, the German Nickel from Nicolaus, similar to the English Old Nick for “Devil.” The Germans called the copper-colored nickel Kupfernickel, meaning “fool’s copper,” a metal much less valuable than copper. The substitution of the cheap metal for the valuable copper in the ore was attributed to the demonic maliciousness of sprites. Apparently, minerology is just a stone’s throw from German mythology.

Cobalt, the element

But why do we refer to the brilliant blue hue as cobalt blue, if the element is silver? This is not part of the story of mythology, but I had to find the answer. The color of cobalt blue is made from mixing a version of the element with alumina and roasted at a high temperature. The result is a beautiful blue, used in painting, ceramics, frescoes, and other art. (For the short story on cobalt blue, read here.)

Cobalt blue

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Maggie Vela would like to recall the message, “Editor’s Corner: Bootleggers”.

I was just browsing through the book Even-Steven and Fair and Square: More Stories Behind the Words by Morton S. Freeman, and I came upon an interesting entry about bootleggers. As I have mentioned before, though, I sometimes end up digging into something and I end up down a rabbit hole. Welcome to today’s journey.

As far as Mr. Freeman’s definition for bootlegger, he has this to say:

Bootlegger is an odd name for a booze peddler. The name originally was applied to those who trafficked in illegal liquor by smuggling, especially among the (indigenous Americans), flasks of firewater in the legs of their boots, a practice designed to conceal the illicit merchandise from government agents. With time, the term bootlegger came to be applied to distributors of illegal booze, whether delivered by hand or by truck or even left at a convenient place. No longer did a bootlegger operate through his boots. Remember the story of the station master who, during Prohibition, called up the Greek professor and said: “Professor, you’d better get down to the station fast because your package of books is leaking all over the platform.”

I found that interesting, but I was surprised at the brevity of the entry. And then, because they’re related by alcohol and illegality, I thought about the word speakeasy. Here is where my path followed the little white rabbit into the internet hole and went hopping.

First, I thought I’d check the definition of speakeasy with one of my favorite sites, the Online Etymology Dictionary:

speakeasy

“unlicensed saloon,” 1889 (in the New York “Voice”), from verbal phrase, from speak (v.) + easy (adv.); so called from the practice of speaking quietly about such a place in public, or when inside it, so as not to alert the police and neighbors. The word gained wide currency in U.S. during Prohibition (1920-1932). In early 19c. Irish and British dialect, a speak softly shop meant “smuggler’s den.”

My temptation was to go even further into my interests, which include architecture and history, but I can’t get too much further off track. I’ve heard tell of cool, hidden speakeasy entryways here in America, and I did a quick search to find an example of one in general. I found one in New York (an original Prohibition speakeasy, still in use) and a modern entrance from Shanghai.

New York water tower speakeasy

Shanghai Coke machine entrance to a modern speakeasy

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

I was just browsing through the book Even-Steven and Fair and Square: More Stories Behind the Words by Morton S. Freeman, and I came upon an interesting entry about bootleggers. As I have mentioned before, though, I sometimes end up digging into something and I end up down a rabbit hole. Welcome to today’s journey.

As far as Mr. Freeman’s definition for bootlegger, he has this to say:

Bootlegger is an odd name for a booze peddler. The name originally was applied to those who trafficked in illegal liquor by smuggling, especially among the (indigenous Americans), flasks of firewater in the legs of their boots, a practice designed to conceal the illicit merchandise from government agents. With time, the term bootlegger came to be applied to distributors of illegal booze, whether delivered by hand or by truck or even left at a convenient place. No longer did a bootlegger operate through his boots. Remember the story of the station master who, during Prohibition, called up the Greek professor and said: “Professor, you’d better get down to the station fast because your package of books is leaking all over the platform.”

I found that interesting, but I was surprised at the brevity of the entry. And then, because they’re related by alcohol and illegality, I thought about the word speakeasy. Here is where my path followed the little white rabbit into the internet hole and went hopping.

First, I thought I’d check the definition of speakeasy with one of my favorite sites, the Online Etymology Dictionary:

speakeasy

"unlicensed saloon," 1889 (in the New York "Voice"), from verbal phrase, from speak (v.) + easy (adv.); so called from the practice of speaking quietly about such a place in public, or when inside it, so as not to alert the police and neighbors. The word gained wide currency in U.S. during Prohibition (1920-1932). In early 19c. Irish and British dialect, a speak softly shop meant "smuggler’s den."

My temptation was to go even further into my interests, which include architecture and history, but I can’t get too much further off track. I’ve heard tell of cool, hidden speakeasy entryways here in America, and I did a quick search to find an example of one in general. I found one in New York (an original Prohibition speakeasy, still in use) and a modern entrance from Shanghai.

New York water tower speakeasy

Shanghai Coke machine entrance to a modern speakeasy

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good morning, everyone!

I’ve talked to a few people about whether it is correct to say, “It is me” or “It is I.” While writing this email, I took a trip down memory lane. I remember thinking about this years ago while my son and I were watching Captain Vegetable sing, “It is I, Captain Vegetable” on Sesame Street.

A lot of people incorrectly say, “It is me.” In fact, I would guess that more people say “It is me” than say “It is I.” So, what’s the scoop?

While me and I are both pronouns that we use to talk about ourselves, me is an object pronoun and I is a subject pronoun.

Let’s talk first about the object pronouns: me, her, him,and them. Object pronouns receive an action—something happens to them. Look at the following examples:

• Give the money to me.
• They awarded her the medal of honor.
• When are you finally going to tell him the truth?
• We don’t want the award to go to them.

In all the cases above, it probably seems obvious that you would use the highlighted object pronouns. Try substituting subject pronouns I, she, he,and they (respectively). Intuitively, you know it’s wrong.

Now, here are some examples of correctly used subject pronouns. Unlike object pronouns, which receive an action, subject pronouns perform the action:

• I want even more money.
• Do you think she will accept the medal in person?
• I don’t think he can handle the truth.
• They left early to watch the final episode of Stranger Things.

Those examples probably seem obvious too. So why does “It is I” seem wrong? It’s simply because of many years of incorrect usage. We’ve been hearing the incorrect phrase so long and so often that it sounds right.

Now, stick with me—there’s an easy way to determine that “It is me” is wrong. If “It is me” were correct, then we’d also be able to turn that around and say, “Me is it,” but that’s definitely not right—we’d say, “I am it.” So, that tells us that we need the subject pronoun I rather than the object pronoun me. Are you still with me?

The same goes for “This is she” vs. “This is her.” Since we would say “She is it” rather than “Her is it,” we know we need to use the subject pronoun she.

I think I’ve beaten this horseradish into a lather. Enjoy the rest of your day, and eat your vegetables!

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Ext: 765432

Pronouns she/her/hers

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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Dear Editrix,

I know what snuff is, and what “up to snuff” means, but where did the terms come from?

Sincerely,

Curious in San Diego

Good morning, Curious!

This is definitely a great word to look into. When I hear “snuff,” I think of old Western films, where Snippy or Whiskey Pete, the town drunk, is snorting “snuff.” But it has so many different definitions. Here are a few, condensed definitions (from Merriam-Webster):

Verb: snuff

1a: to crop the snuff of (a candle) by pinching or by the use of snuffers so as to brighten the light

1b: to extinguish by or as if by the use of snuffers: make extinct: put an end to: to kill, usually used with out

1c: to draw in forcibly through the nostrils

2: to perceive or detect by smelling: scent, smell

3: to sniff at in order to examine—used of an animal

4: to lightly buff (the grain side of leather) so as to remove grain imperfections

Noun: snuff

1: the charred part of a candlewick

2: the act of snuffing; sniffing, inhalation

2a: a preparation of pulverized tobacco to be chewed, placed against the gums, or inhaled through the nostrils [KC – This is what I’ve usually heard snuff referring to.]

2b: the amount of snuff taken at one time: pinch

As for the phrase, “up to snuff,” here is the explanation from our buddies at the Grammarist:

To be of good quality or up to someone’s required standards. It is also a general idiom meaning in good health. The phrase is never hyphenated unless used as a modifier (e.g., an up-to-snuff device).

Snuff was powdered tobacco inhaled through the nose. The phrase up to snuff comes from a playwright in the 1800s. He used it to describe someone as knowing what is going on or being well-informed or ‘in the know’.

Over time the definition changed and now it more closely resembles the phrase up to scratch. This means for something to meet a particular standard or requirement.

The scratch comes from marking the ground for competitions, either a line for a race or a circle for two fighters. [KC – Discussed

here in Editor’s Corner.]

It is interesting that, with all the different definitions, the use of the phrase comes simply from an author who coined the term while writing a play. I was waiting for an exciting evolution of the term from the snuff going up the nose of Whiskey Pete in some dusty Western film!

Candle snuffer

Fancy snuff box

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Hello there! Today I have “borrowed” an entire article from Daily Writing Tips. I thought this information was too interesting to keep to myself!

jack-o’-lantern
Why a “jack”-o’-lantern” and not some other given name?

Ever since the Middle Ages, a diminutive of the perennially popular man’s name John has been Jack. Because of the ubiquity of the name, it came to stand for any man in general, finding its way into a variety of expressions such as jack-of-all-trades, and jack-in-the-box.

Before jack-o’-lantern, we had jack-with-the-Lantern (1663), meaning, “night watchman.”

In addition to its literal meaning of “man carrying a lantern,” jack-o’-lantern was used to refer to the ignis fatuus or will-o’-the-wisp. Its most common meaning nowadays is “a hollowed vegetable carved with a face and lighted with a candle placed inside.” In the US, the pumpkin is the vegetable of choice, but in Ireland, turnips are used.

trick or treat
The earliest documented use of the term “trick or treat” dates from 1927, in a Canadian publication, but the custom of demanding food treats on October 31 originated in the pagan Celtic past.

In the Celtic calendar, October 31 was the last day of autumn. November 1 was the day the cattle were brought in to shelter for the winter. The time was marked by the fire festival Samhain, observing a liminal time when a weakened boundary between this world and the other permitted spirits, those of fairies and of the dead, to cross. People left gifts of food and drink outside for them. In time, the practice shifted from leaving food outside for the spirits to giving it to people who went from door to door. According to an article in the Sun, young people in Scotland and Ireland “would visit their neighbors’ house and sing a song, recite a poem or perform another sort of ‘trick’ before receiving a treat of nuts, fruit or coins.” In the Middle Ages, poor people would visit the houses of the rich to receive pastries in exchange for praying for the homeowners’ dead relations.

The noun is trick-or-treating.

Halloween
The word is a shortening of All-Hallow-Even, the eve of the Christian festival of All Hallows, in remembrance of all departed saints. Originally, the Christian feast was held in May, but was moved to November in the eighth century, where it subsumed the still-popular pagan festival.

Hallow derives from the Old English word for holy. As a verb, hallow means, “to make holy.” Lincoln uses the word in the Gettysburg Address: “But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.”

Happy (almost) Halloween!

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good morning dear readers. Today I have an idiom to discuss with you: in like Flynn. It’s definitely not one I have ever used, but I find it interesting because I always thought people were saying “in like flint.” That didn’t really make much sense, since this is the definition of flint from Google®:

1. a hard gray rock

2. a piece of flint, especially as flaked or ground in ancient times to form a tool or weapon

3. a piece of flint used with steel to produce an igniting spark, e.g., in a flintlock gun, or (in modern use) a piece of an alloy used similarly, especially in a cigarette lighter

And of course, there’s Flint, Michigan, known in past news for its delicious tap water.

Rocks and a city, neither of those made sense, but I still heard the vault robbers or trespassers in movies saying, “in like flint.” When I received the following information from the Grammarist, suddenly, it made so much more sense. This is for those of you, like me, who heard the phrase or spoke the phrase incorrectly! Enjoy!

In like Flynn means to be immediately successful or to have achieved acceptance. The idiom in like Flynn carries the connotation of being in a state where one will continue to find success. The expression in like Flynn came into use in the American army in the 1940s, though its origin is murky.

Most believe it is somehow tied to the actor Errol Flynn, who always portrayed a successful swashbuckler in his movies. The fact that the word “in” and the name “Flynn” rhyme probably helped to make this phrase popular.

Another small faction believes that the “Flynn” in in like Flynn refers to New York political boss Edward J. Flynn, whose candidates never lost. Both theories might be true. Perhaps men from New York entered the army during World War II using a local, colloquial phrase alluding to a political boss, but the phrase was picked up by others with the idea of invoking Errol Flynn.

This sounds like a logical explanation to me! I remember when I was a kid, Mom told me that she always thought Errol Flynn was quite dreamy.

I hope you have a great day!

Errol Flynn in Technicolor

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

I recently edited a slide show that used the term “starting from scratch,” meaning to start at the very beginning. I’ve used the phrase myself, but I’ve never really thought about what “scratch” means. I’ve heard of the devil being called Old Scratch or Mr. Scratch, but according to Wikipedia, that is most likely from “Middle English scrat, the name of a demon or goblin, derived from Old Norse skratte.”

Looking further, to Even-Steven and Fair and Square: More Stories Behind the Words by Morton S. Freeman, he has this information on “starting from scratch”:

A person who is unexpectedly scratched may start from the surprise or the pain, or both. But the expression to start from scratch is not related to any form of skin-cutting. It came from a cutting on the ground that marked the starting point for runners in a race. The runners were said to start from scratch, the usual starting point. Handicapped competitors were given an advantage. They did not start…from the scratched line, but were placed ahead of it. In current usage of the idiom, which may refer to almost any beginning, it has retained its original sense of starting with no advantage, without having a head start over others.

Merriam-Websteralso writes about the term to start from scratch, and adds the following:

A runner starting from scratch was not given a head start; applying the same idea to other sports, a scratch golfer or scratch bowler is one good enough to play without having their score adjusted with a handicap.

The idea of the scratch as a figurative starting point then gets carried over to contexts of cooking or building, giving us from scratch as a phrase for a true starting point for such projects.

That’s it for today! All this talk of scratching has made me itchy.

Kara Church

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Technical Editor, Advisory

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/