Fornicating Under Consent of King • Hacker News Board

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#51

Post by bregma » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 10:44 AM UTC

Veen wrote: post #41

thaumasiotes wrote: post #2

> the word whose usage is considered so offensive that it has caused the decline of its unfortunate near-homophone ‘niggardly’ That's not exactly a unique phenomenon. For example, it's how "rabbit" replaced "coney".

It's also why (among other reasons) the UK peerage doesn't have "Counts." It uses the old Anglo-Saxon "Earl" for county-level peers even though the Norman system largely displaced the Anglo-Saxon system after the conquest. Curiously though, the wives of earls are countesses.

The jarls still held a lot of land, especially in the north, even after the southern kingdoms changed hands. Medieval feudalism was never a simple one-party dictatorship. Balance of local power probably has more to do with the propagation of nomenclature than simply having a new guy in a castle several days' journey away from your village.

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#52

Post by Bjartr » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 10:49 AM UTC

ben_w wrote: post #48

thaumasiotes wrote: post #2

> the word whose usage is considered so offensive that it has caused the decline of its unfortunate near-homophone ‘niggardly’ That's not exactly a unique phenomenon. For example, it's how "rabbit" replaced "coney".

The one that gets to me is that the anglosphere is still calling a fairly common crop [cooking product] “rapeseed [oil]”. And why is that etymologically connected to the latin for ‘turnip’? This seems as strange now as the fact “mincemeat” (no space) in mince pies is vegetarian (the answer: because “meat” used to mean any food not just animal flesh, but it’s still strange to see that today).

Rapeseed oil is usually referred to as canola oil these days.

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#53

Post by UncleSlacky » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 10:59 AM UTC

thaumasiotes wrote: post #2

> the word whose usage is considered so offensive that it has caused the decline of its unfortunate near-homophone ‘niggardly’ That's not exactly a unique phenomenon. For example, it's how "rabbit" replaced "coney".

Also, the use of "rooster" in the US instead of "cock" or "cockerel" which is still common in UK/Commonwealth English.

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#54

Post by Balarny » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 11:07 AM UTC

Bjartr wrote: post #52

ben_w wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one that gets to me is that the anglosphere is still calling a fairly common crop [cooking product] “rapeseed [oil]”. And why is that etymologically connected to the latin for ‘turnip’? This seems as strange now as the fact “mincemeat” (no space) in mince pies is vegetarian (the answer: because “meat” used to mean any food not just animal flesh, but it’s still strange to see that today).

Rapeseed oil is usually referred to as canola oil these days.

In the US, maybe. In the UK it's usually called what it is, or the euphemism "vegetable oil". Often next to each other on the shelf.

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#55

Post by maccard » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 11:07 AM UTC

Bjartr wrote: post #52

ben_w wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one that gets to me is that the anglosphere is still calling a fairly common crop [cooking product] “rapeseed [oil]”. And why is that etymologically connected to the latin for ‘turnip’? This seems as strange now as the fact “mincemeat” (no space) in mince pies is vegetarian (the answer: because “meat” used to mean any food not just animal flesh, but it’s still strange to see that today).

Rapeseed oil is usually referred to as canola oil these days.

I've only ever heard Americans refer to it as canola oil. In the UK and Ireland, it's definitely rapeseed

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#56

Post by Veen » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 11:11 AM UTC

bregma wrote: post #51

Veen wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also why (among other reasons) the UK peerage doesn't have "Counts." It uses the old Anglo-Saxon "Earl" for county-level peers even though the Norman system largely displaced the Anglo-Saxon system after the conquest. Curiously though, the wives of earls are countesses.

The jarls still held a lot of land, especially in the north, even after the southern kingdoms changed hands. Medieval feudalism was never a simple one-party dictatorship. Balance of local power probably has more to do with the propagation of nomenclature than simply having a new guy in a castle several days' journey away from your village.

Yes, that's what I meant by "among other reasons"—it was a lazy hedge in anticipation of your response.

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#57

Post by weimerica » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 11:29 AM UTC

UncleSlacky wrote: post #53

thaumasiotes wrote: post #2

> the word whose usage is considered so offensive that it has caused the decline of its unfortunate near-homophone ‘niggardly’ That's not exactly a unique phenomenon. For example, it's how "rabbit" replaced "coney".

Also, the use of "rooster" in the US instead of "cock" or "cockerel" which is still common in UK/Commonwealth English.

Living near the University of South Carolina (Gamecocks), always tickled my inner twelve year old to see a constant stream of garnet hats with "Cocks" on them.

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#58

Post by BrandoElFollito » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 11:33 AM UTC

tragomaskhalos wrote: post #37

area51org wrote: post #3

It's amazing how many people still fall for the 'fuck-as-acronym' myths. I've literally argued with people convinced that FUCK stands for Fornication Under Consent of the King, or (as Van Halen apparently believed) For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. No, none of the above. Nope.

Folk etymologies based on acronyms seem to hold a peculiar power over people's imaginations, irrespective of how obviously false they are. I remember as a lad being told that 'news' was so called because it came from the north, east, west and south :eyeroll:

This is a surprisingly to-the-point "acronymisation", though!

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#59

Post by BrandoElFollito » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 11:35 AM UTC

kenneth wrote: post #32

dhosek wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking of misread signs, there's a Chinese restaurant on San Vicente in Los Angeles named Hunan Taste. More than one person has mistaken that first n for an m.

Hunan is a province of China known for delicious and incredibly spicy food.

spicy as in "hot" or as in "full of spices (flavours)"?

Re: Fornicating Under Consent of King

#60

Post by YeGoblynQueenne » Fri, Aug 06, 2021, 11:36 AM UTC

I had to double-check the date of the publication of the article: August 2021. And in this day and age the author found the time and patience to write an article on profanities with exactly 0 profanities, instead referring to them by circumlocutions. The joy of writing has not completely left the world of journalism, then (even literary journalism, I guess?). I'm moved almost to tears.