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quote:Originally posted by DoctorBeaverI am fascinated by words - their origins, how meanings change over time etc. Here some examples of words now meaning something totally different from the original. See if you can work out what they would have meant a few hundred years ago:-Not all buxom girls are silly or pretty, some are quite nice.I have 3 donkeys on my neck.I am not sophisticated, this gold coin is a counterfeit.
quote:Originally posted by DoctorBeaverA donkey was a small wooden structure such as a frame for sawing. This is possibly whence Whatshisname got the name Spinning Jenny (a Jenny being a female donkey) for his machine.