weird things you wonder about

[SparklyUnicorn]

(Everyone here is sick, and I'm not feeling well so I have some downtime...)

 

I currently wonder how the word "pretty" came to be used to mean "very".  I know that is an informal use of the word, but why "pretty" as very? 

 

And the other day I wondered at what point in human history people started using names. 

 

What random thing do you wonder about?

 

 

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

You got me curious, so I googled.  it looks like "pretty" used as "very or a lot" goes all the way back to the 15th century.

 

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pretty

 

I don't think I could even stop to tell you all the random things I wonder about.  It's sort of like "Squirrel!" throughout my day. 

[theelfqueen]

I haven't looked it up but I assume the use of "Pretty" is related to the use of "Fairly" ...

 

Fair and Pretty have been used interchangeably to mean 'comely'.

 

Fair also means judiciously balanced. When we say something is fairly well done, it could be a synonym for 'quite'.

 

[J-rap]

We were wondering just yesterday how the term "Dutch treat" (each party paying their own way) came to be.  Of course I could always google it...

 

Also, this isn't a weird thing I wondered about, but it's a weird thing I just learned!  Did you know that couples didn't used to kiss as an expression of romantic love?  And even after it began, some believe that after the fall of Rome, the kiss disappeared for about a thousand years.

 

 

[Junie]

One morning the very first thought that went through my mind:  Why doesn't gasoline freeze?   :lol:  

 

It's a liquid, but even in the Far North where people plug their cars in at night to keep them warm, I've never heard of gasoline freezing.

 

I googled the freezing point of gasoline:  -40 degrees!

[SparklyUnicorn]

We were wondering just yesterday how the term "Dutch treat" (each party paying their own way) came to be.  Of course I could always google it...

 

Also, this isn't a weird thing I wondered about, but it's a weird thing I just learned!  Did you know that couples didn't used to kiss as an expression of romantic love?  And even after it began, some believe that after the fall of Rome, the kiss disappeared for about a thousand years.

 

Huh yeah...the whole "going Dutch" thing...

 

on the kiss thing...huh...

[mamiof5]

I have had my fair share of wondering random stuff... who was the first one who discovered popcorn (the actual process of popping the kernel)? That's the only one that comes to mind right now, I'm tired :). Hope y'all feel better soon!

[Mbelle]

I wondered when we started saying paper clip instead of gem clip.  I asked my Dad and wondered who all says paper clip! LOL

[SparklyUnicorn]

I never heard the term gem clip. 

 

I'm out of likes.

 

 

[alisoncooks]

DH and I always wonder about food.  

Like...who first looked at the inside of an oyster, for example, and said, "Yup. I'm gonna eat that."

[snickerplum]

The word extraordinary. Why does that mean something good? To me if something is extraordinary it's MORE ordinary, and not good. :-)

[fraidycat]

The word extraordinary. Why does that mean something good? To me if something is extraordinary it's MORE ordinary, and not good. :-)

Because extra means "outside of" or "beyond", in this case. Extraterrestrial is another example of the usage - it doesn't mean more Earthly or more natural.

 

I wonder about lots of random stuff - like Jean, many of my days are "Squirrel!" days.

 

One wonder is why we keep the letter "x" in the alphabet, instead of just using "ks", "kz", or "ekz" wherever necessary.

Edited March 9, 2016 by fraidycat

[Murphy101]

DH and I always wonder about food.

Like...who first looked at the inside of an oyster, for example, and said, "Yup. I'm gonna eat that."

I wonder this type of thing daily.

 

I mean crawdads and snails and ...

 

Really I think most of culinary history was based on a dare between two starving people.

[Night Elf]

As yet another car turned in front of me today and cut me off, I wondered again about why do cars in front of me go so slow while cars behind me go so fast. It happens to me all the time. People pull out in front of me and then proceed to do at least 10 miles under the speed limit, sometimes even more than that!

[Hot Lava Mama]

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Edited August 11, 2017 by Hot Lava Mama

[Hot Lava Mama]

 

Edited August 11, 2017 by Hot Lava Mama

[clementine]

I wonder why our country can't be run without political parties - just work together for the common good, dammit.

 

I wonder why my family can't tell me when something is close to running out (milk, toilet paper, toothpaste) before it's completely gone.

 

I wonder why the Kardash*ans are even a thing.

 

I wonder if, when I get to heaven, I'll be able to know the answers to mysteries & unsolved murders.  

 

 

[Hot Lava Mama]

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Edited August 11, 2017 by Hot Lava Mama

[Hot Lava Mama]

 

Edited August 11, 2017 by Hot Lava Mama

[clementine]

Very true!  I have been thinking about that lately.  There should be NO parties.  Everyone should run and win/lose based on their ideas.  That would eliminate the "straight party" voters who seem to be messing everything up!  It would also require people to be more informed to vote, and would discourage the uninformed from voting.

 

We need to start a movement, clementine!  Are you with me!

Hot Lava Mama

I am with you!  

[UCF612]

I wonder if, when I get to heaven, I'll be able to know the answers to mysteries & unsolved murders.

Ha I wonder this too! I've got a running list of questions I plan to ask as soon as I get there.

[nd293]

who was the first one who discovered popcorn (the actual process of popping the kernel)

Or the process of curing olives.

 

If you've ever tasted a raw olive you'll know it's an enormous leap from there to 'edible'.

 

Both must have been accidental finds, but it's fun to imagine the first person who threw a corn kernel into the fire and had popcorn leap out at them. Or the one who picked up the olive that had fallen into the ocean / bucket of water and lain there for forty days and though, "Hey! I'll try this usually inedible fruit!"

[Storygirl]

Today DS10 asked me, "Why does water have no flavor?"

 

Hmm. I really don't know! Now I have something new to wonder about.

[mamiof5]

Or the process of curing olives.

 

If you've ever tasted a raw olive you'll know it's an enormous leap from there to 'edible'.

 

Both must have been accidental finds, but it's fun to imagine the first person who threw a corn kernel into the fire and had popcorn leap out at them. Or the one who picked up the olive that had fallen into the ocean / bucket of water and lain there for forty days and though, "Hey! I'll try this usually inedible fruit!"

Lol! Have never thought of olives, but now that you mention it...yeah! Who was the first one? And eggs, I love eggs, we eat lots of them...but who on earth was the first one who ever decided to cook it/eat it?

[Arctic Bunny]

My DS11 was wondering on the way home from karate tonight. He was wondering how it was decided which words were swear words. I was explaining about them being crude or demeaning, extra rude, wondering where he was going with this. As we're approaching the house, he says, "But the F word, why is it a bad word? It's not like it has another meaning." We pulled into the driveway, and I said, "Sure it does. The F word is a crude word for having s*x."

 

Silence.

 

"Oh, didn't know that!" *Car door slams*

 

And he hasn't wondered anything else tonight.

[theelfqueen]

Most English swear words come from Germanic roots. They became considered low or course when French language was considered the courtly language of learned people in England.

see also:

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/06/swear-words-etymology-and-the-history-of-english/

 

[Amy in NH]

My DS11 was wondering on the way home from karate tonight. He was wondering how it was decided which words were swear words. I was explaining about them being crude or demeaning, extra rude, wondering where he was going with this. As we're approaching the house, he says, "But the F word, why is it a bad word? It's not like it has another meaning." We pulled into the driveway, and I said, "Sure it does. The F word is a crude word for having s*x."

 

Silence.

 

"Oh, didn't know that!" *Car door slams*

 

And he hasn't wondered anything else tonight.

I had the same conversation with my kids yesterday. I explained about the origins having to do with the profane vs holy, bodily functions, the rude and vulgar. Then we discussed cultural norms and what people find offensive, audiences, word choice, and bad habits.

[trulycrabby]

I wonder this type of thing daily.

 

I mean crawdads and snails and ...

 

Really I think most of culinary history was based on a dare between two starving people.

Really, I think most of culinary history was based on a dare between two teenaged boys. :)

[Junie]

On the freezing of gasoline, it's pretty low. But diesel gels at -10, so we have to go to winter blend. And here, where we see -35, we have a different blend. My fil's job, during the Depression, was to go around and start all the diesel engines up at a dam building site. He'd start them all, then go around and turn them off, and then start them again. All night long. As they saw -60 that winter, if the engines weren't run, they'd never start again until spring. 

 

I cannot (nor do I want to) imagine temperatures that cold.  :brr:

[kewb]

Add me to the food wondering.  Who was sitting around one day and looked at a lobster and thought "yum".

 

I wonder why society isn't matriarchal since there are more women than men.

 

I wonder when the ants will realize they could rule the world because there are just so many of them. Yes, I saw Them as a child and was scarred for life.

 

I wonder why my children did not find The Birds terrifying.  To this day I can't look at a bird without wondering when they will attack.

 

I wonder at what point did the music my children enjoy cross over into "That is just noise."

 

I wonder who that old lady looking back at me in the mirror is.

 

I wonder how people can actively try to exterminate another group of people based on religious beliefs, color of skin, or other accident of birth.

 

I wonder which one of my neighbors is smoking the pot I can smell in the evening.

 

 

Edited March 10, 2016 by kewb

[Excelsior! Academy]

I wonder how the first recipe for bread came about. Or sourdough. There had to be lots of flat, tasteless unleavened bread before the first decent loaf bread. Who thought to catch yeast and then thought to add it to bread?

[Tap]

I wonder if foods taste different to different people.  Like does chocolate taste the same to me as you? Is that why some people like one flavor and others don't like it?  

[Jean in Newcastle]

After watching an ad the other night for a supplement that includes jellyfish for good short term memory, I wondered, "Do jellyfish have good short term memory?  And how would you test that?"

[kewb]

After watching an ad the other night for a supplement that includes jellyfish for good short term memory, I wondered, "Do jellyfish have good short term memory? And how would you test that?"

Jellyfish don't have brains. How in the world would that help my memory?

[Indian summer]

I wondered when we started saying paper clip instead of gem clip.  I asked my Dad and wondered who all says paper clip! LOL

In french they're trombones, which is kind of fun.

[Indian summer]

I wonder why historical people are often viewed by modern idiots, as having been stupid.

 

 

 

 

[lllll]

nm

Edited November 15, 2016 by cathey

[Laura Corin]

(Everyone here is sick, and I'm not feeling well so I have some downtime...)

 

I currently wonder how the word "pretty" came to be used to mean "very".  I know that is an informal use of the word, but why "pretty" as very? 

 

 

 

That's interesting in itself.  'Pretty' to me means 'fairly', so less than 'very'.

[Junie]

And he lived in a TENT that winter! There was a dorm, but it was full. The front windows in my house are from the dormitory at Taylor Dam. The coldest I've seen at the ranch was -42. That was cold enough. 

 

:svengo: I think 0 is cold enough.  Anything negative is not good, imo.  :)

[Excelsior! Academy]

I wonder why historical people are often viewed by modern idiots, as having been stupid.

 

 

Yes!  The pyramids, hanging towers, and other ancient feats of architecture prove otherwise.  Unless, of course, the aliens did it.  

Edited March 10, 2016 by Excelsior! Academy

[theelfqueen]

Yes!  The pyramids, hanging towers, and other ancient feats of architecture prove otherwise.  Unless, of course, the aliens did it.  

 

No human being would stack books like this!

 

[theelfqueen]

I tend to assume some human observed some animal eating something (Eggs, oysters, etc) and decided to try it. "It didn't kill the bear, I can probably eat it!"

[nd293]

I tend to assume some human observed some animal eating something (Eggs, oysters, etc) and decided to try it. "It didn't kill the bear, I can probably eat it!"

You're probably right. I still use a version of that approach, only it's more like "Oh. That's past the expiry date. Still, it didn't kill dh/dd/ds when they had it for breakfast, we can probably keep it for a few more days" 😄

[Tap]

Sometimes I wonder what it is like to live someone else's life.  Or what it is like inside someone's head.  

 

Like my daughter on the Autism spectrum.....who feels everything on a grand scale and wears it all on her sleeve.  There is never a secret what she is feeling and everyone around her knows instantly how her day is going, Minute, by, Minute. 

 

or my other daughter who has ADHD.  She is like two completely different people on/off her meds.  Even one of her friends says the same thing.  She thinks having dd for a friend is like getting a bonus friend in the mix.  The one on meds who is quiet, sweet and studious...vs the one who is off meds, and is a human version of a Labrador puppy.  LOL  DD is aware of her split personality and will choose med free days when she wants to have a 'fun personality day' or a 'work day'. 

[Tsuga]

My husband wonders who first said, "I think I'm going to eat that round thing that just came out of that chicken's butt!"

 

He has a point. Makes you wonder.

 

I don't want to start a debate, so I will say I think that's a better question for a creationist. For someone who believes in evolution, that was a pretty gradual process. Like pre-humans would have eaten eggs of any number of animals before they bred chickens for eggs. I mean we all know, since it's recorded history, fairly recent, that chickens are domesticated and that they were domesticated from their eggs. Most likely people and other animals, from what I have seen, take eggs from the nest.

[Tsuga]

My sense of humor fell asleep before I did--sorry and thanks for the blunt clarification.

[solascriptura]

I want to know why my youngest always comes to look for me as soon as I sit on the pot.

 

Also, when all of mine were babies, as soon as I put my head on the pillow to sleep at night, they somehow instinctively knew and started crying in their cribs. It wasn't even at the same time every night! It started to creep me out after a while. All of them I tell you!

[scoutingmom]

I wonder if foods taste different to different people. Like does chocolate taste the same to me as you? Is that why some people like one flavor and others don't like it?

I can answer that one. No, it doesn't... not exactly.

 

My sister, while in University, took a genetics class. She had a bunch of little things that she tested the family on with stuff that is genetic. Things like wiggling your ears, or hitch-hikers thumb, or curling your tongue, etc. One she had was different strips of paper that you would basically lick. They had a flavour on them. Well, my Dad licked one and it tasted like... say salty. I licked my paper (same type)... and tasted paper. I could taste some. My Dad could taste most.

 

I do wonder if that was completely genetic, or if age changes those results too.

 

But I am convinced that people taste things differently.

 

 

Now me... I have always wondered if we all see colours the same but just get taught to call them the same names. Like if you saw bkue exactly like I do, would it be the colour you learned to call red? Of course, some people are colour blind....

 

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[alisoncooks]

I want to know why my youngest always comes to look for me as soon as I sit on the pot.

 

Also, when all of mine were babies, as soon as I put my head on the pillow to sleep at night, they somehow instinctively knew and started crying in their cribs. It wasn't even at the same time every night! It started to creep me out after a while. All of them I tell you!

 

Along the same lines...my dog immediately wants to go out to do his business the minute I sit down and get comfortable.  Not just perch on a chair for a second...but the minute I comfortably settle in with a book or snack or coffee.

[scoutingmom]

I want to know why my youngest always comes to look for me as soon as I sit on the pot.

 

Also, when all of mine were babies, as soon as I put my head on the pillow to sleep at night, they somehow instinctively knew and started crying in their cribs. It wasn't even at the same time every night! It started to creep me out after a while. All of them I tell you!

Mine always knew when I was about to eat.

 

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