Wordorigins.org

I’ve long been aware of the phenomenon of pareidolia, the seeing of recognizable objects, usually faces, in random visual stimuli. Famous examples of pareidolia include the “face” on the Cydonia Mensae region of Mars or images of the Virgin Mary on pieces of toast. Our brains are really good at pattern recognition, so good in fact that we often detect “meaningful” patterns in random data. We commonly see faces because our brains are “hardwired” to be particularly good at identifying faces.

I’ve created a Facebook page for Wordorigins.org. If you’re a Facebook member, do a search on “wordorigins” and it will pop right up. Take a look, become a “fan” of the page if you are so inclined. I’m a novice when it comes to Facebook, so if you have any suggestions on things to do with the page to promote the Wordorigins.org community on Facebook, I’ve started a thread in the discussion forum on the subject. 

Sheehan, Michael J., (2008). Word Parts Dictionary: Standard and Reverse Listings of Prefixes, Suffixes, Roots and Combining Forms, 2nd Edition. Jefferson, NC, McFarland & Company.

This is a rather specialized dictionary that will appeal to certain subpopulations of the logophile universe and will be a valuable addition to any reference library. It will chiefly be of interest to those who invent words, are avid crossword puzzle creators or fans, or are studying for a serious spelling bee competition. Those who routinely come across mysterious words that are not in standard dictionaries or who are trying to reconstruct dimly remembered words may also find it useful. But for most of us, the book will be of limited utility, as access to a good standard dictionary can give most of us the answers we seek in this arena.

Which is not to say that the Word Parts Dictionary isn’t an impressive effort. Sheehan divides the dictionary into three parts. The first is a straightforward alphabetic listing of prefixes, suffixes, combining forms, and common roots of compounds with their meaning and etymology. The second section is a reverse dictionary, where you can look up the meaning and find all the relevant affixes associated with the concept. The third organizes the entries into semantic categories, like colors, eating habits, shapes, and numbers.

So if you find yourself periodically puzzling over word roots, Sheehan’s dictionary may find a valuable place on your bookshelf.

The oldest sense of this word is the verb, meaning to cobble together something in a makeshift manner, to adjust accounts or numbers to make them conform to requirements. It is a variant of the verb to fadge, meaning to fit, to make suitable. Fadge is of unknown etymology and dates to at least 1578. From George Whetstone’s The Right Excellent Historye of Promos and Cassandra from that year:

In good soothe, Sir, this match fadged frim.

The form fudge may date to as early as 1674 when it apparently appears in Nathaniel Fairfax’s A Treatise of the Bulk and Selvedge of the World (this appearance, however, may be a misprint for fridged, meaning to move, to fidget):

They may...be...fudged up into such a smirkish liveliness, as may last as long as the Summers warmth holds on.

The interjection meaning nonsense, humbug dates to 1766. It probably comes, in equal parts, from the verb and from an inarticulate grunt. From Oliver Goldsmith’s The Vicar of Wakefield from that year:

The very impolite behaviour of Mr. Burchell, who...at the conclusion of every sentence would cry out Fudge!

The name of the candy comes from the verb, a reference to it being easy to make. It is relatively recent, only dating to the waning years of the 19th century. From the 1893 yearbook of Vassar College, the Vassarion:

What is it that we love the best,
Of all the candies east or west,
Although to make them is a pest?
Fudges.

(Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition; ADS-L)

This slang term for the police dates to 1924. The origin is unknown. From an article about pickpockets in the Los Angeles Times of 30 January of that year:

A “mob” can “beat a pap” to the “leather” and get away with it with the ordinary “fuzz” lookin’ on.

While the origin is unknown, one 1931 source, Godfrey Irwin’s American Tramp and Underworld Slang, proffers the following:

Fuzz, a detective; a prison guard or turnkey. Here it is likely that “fuzz” was originally “fuss,” one hard to please or over-particular.

Explanations that the term stems from Fuzzy Wuzzy the poetic bear or, bear, the slang term for a policeman are incorrect. This slang sense of Bear does not appear until 1975 and is a reference to the “Smokey the Bear” hats that state troopers often wear.

(Sources: Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition; Historical Dictionary of American Slang; ADS-L)