The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Coruscation]

New question:

How did "Hank" become a nick-name for "Henry?"

I don't know but I've had the same question about "harry" for years. Also "Jack" for John. It's not even shorter!

It's not about length. It's about the period in English history when only biblical names were allowed. I think I've read somewhere that 10% of Englishmen were named Tom at one point. Presumably John was similar. Combine that with the custom of naming boys after their male relatives and you had a lot of men in the one family with the same name, so they needed variations to distinguish them. Why those in particular, I'm not sure.

[Mental Magpie]

I've got kind of a dumb question, again - what is the plural of faux pas? I've just realized that I've no idea.

As an irregular, it stays the same plural or singular...like fish in English.

[Diane AKA Traska]

I've got kind of a dumb question, again - what is the plural of faux pas? I've just realized that I've no idea.

As an irregular, it stays the same plural or singular...like fish in English.

...except when discussing loaves and fishes. 

[Mental Magpie]

I've got kind of a dumb question, again - what is the plural of faux pas? I've just realized that I've no idea.

As an irregular, it stays the same plural or singular...like fish in English.

...except when discussing loaves and fishes. 

Or Three Dog Night...

[Dazi]

Recently, I received not one, but two incorrect orders from Amazon.  I never did receive the product I actually ordered, but my money for first mistake and the replacement product, that was also wrong, was promptly credited back to me.  I gave a neutral (3) to the seller as feedback with a very detailed response as to why I scored the seller the way I did. Also, Amazon pulled/froze the page when I complained the second time because I felt like it was a sort of bait and switch going on there.  The product I received was similar, made by the same company, but not something that was interchangeable and was much less expensive.

I received an email from the seller with an apology and a request to remove my feedback.  The seller stated that though they put the listing on any other seller could edit the picture or description of the contents.  This sounds fishy to me.  Can that actually happen?  Or is this yahoo just spinning a tale so I'll remove my feedback (I'm not going to as everything I put in it was accurate).

FTR, I ended up ordering product from a completely different on line site.  It cost me a bit more, but they did send me the correct item in record time.

[ladyknight1]

Use the Amazon A-Z guarantee. Years ago, I ordered the (at the time) complete James Bond movie collection on DVD. What was described and pictured was a fold out hard shell case with individual disc holders. What I received was a cardboard box with a flimsy film cd holder with the discs and all of the menu information is in Chinese. I immediately reported the seller and the item, and was given a full refund without returning the items.

I recently had a similar situation with a seller on eBay. I ordered a Vera Bradley bag from one seller, with no issues. When I ordered the wallet, the shipping times looked off, but it was too late, the order was already paid for. The seller claimed to be from the US, but the city was China. Turned out the seller was in China. I contacted ebay customer service with no reply and left negative feedback.

[Slartibartfast]

My oven died recently, and we got the new one in today.  While browsing through the manual, I discovered it has a "Sabbath mode" so you can set it to automatically turn on and off and whatnot at specific times, so you don't have to push buttons on the Sabbath.

I am only passingly familiar with the Jewish restriction on doing work on the Sabbath, and I recognize that this degree of restriction is something only some Jewish people do - but how is it "work" to turn on your oven but not to put the food in it to bake?  Is there a master list somewhere of what things are "work" and what aren't?  Does the list change as new technology gets invented?  (And do touch screens count as buttons?)

[Diane AKA Traska]

My oven died recently, and we got the new one in today.  While browsing through the manual, I discovered it has a "Sabbath mode" so you can set it to automatically turn on and off and whatnot at specific times, so you don't have to push buttons on the Sabbath.

I am only passingly familiar with the Jewish restriction on doing work on the Sabbath, and I recognize that this degree of restriction is something only some Jewish people do - but how is it "work" to turn on your oven but not to put the food in it to bake?  Is there a master list somewhere of what things are "work" and what aren't?  Does the list change as new technology gets invented?  (And do touch screens count as buttons?)

That's weird.  My oven has a sabbath mode, but all it's good for is roasting war pigs.

[Elfmama]

New question:

How did "Hank" become a nick-name for "Henry?"

I don't know but I've had the same question about "harry" for years. Also "Jack" for John. It's not even shorter!

It's not about length. It's about the period in English history when only biblical names were allowed. I think I've read somewhere that 10% of Englishmen were named Tom at one point. Presumably John was similar. Combine that with the custom of naming boys after their male relatives and you had a lot of men in the one family with the same name, so they needed variations to distinguish them. Why those in particular, I'm not sure.

Warning!  Warning!  Onomastic history button pushed!

"Hank" and "Jack" are double diminutives.  Diminutives in most English names are shortened versions of names, like Mike and Will and Rob, but not always.  You also get things like "Johnnie", longer than the original John, which may hang on long after the older John in the family is gone. 

During the Middle Ages,  -ken/-kin/-kyn were common methods of forming diminutives (among others); they all mean 'little'.  The younger male relatives of John and Henry were sometimes tagged as Jankyn and Hankyn.  Jack and Hank are shortened forms of those diminutives.

[lady_disdain]

My oven died recently, and we got the new one in today.  While browsing through the manual, I discovered it has a "Sabbath mode" so you can set it to automatically turn on and off and whatnot at specific times, so you don't have to push buttons on the Sabbath.

I am only passingly familiar with the Jewish restriction on doing work on the Sabbath, and I recognize that this degree of restriction is something only some Jewish people do - but how is it "work" to turn on your oven but not to put the food in it to bake?  Is there a master list somewhere of what things are "work" and what aren't?  Does the list change as new technology gets invented?  (And do touch screens count as buttons?)

The food is usually placed inside before the Shabbath and the oven kept at a low temperature.

[Elisabunny]

New question:

How did "Hank" become a nick-name for "Henry?"

I don't know but I've had the same question about "harry" for years. Also "Jack" for John. It's not even shorter!

It's not about length. It's about the period in English history when only biblical names were allowed. I think I've read somewhere that 10% of Englishmen were named Tom at one point. Presumably John was similar. Combine that with the custom of naming boys after their male relatives and you had a lot of men in the one family with the same name, so they needed variations to distinguish them. Why those in particular, I'm not sure.

Warning!  Warning!  Onomastic history button pushed!

"Hank" and "Jack" are double diminutives.  Diminutives in most English names are shortened versions of names, like Mike and Will and Rob, but not always.  You also get things like "Johnnie", longer than the original John, which may hang on long after the older John in the family is gone. 

During the Middle Ages,  -ken/-kin/-kyn were common methods of forming diminutives (among others); they all mean 'little'.  The younger male relatives of John and Henry were sometimes tagged as Jankyn and Hankyn.  Jack and Hank are shortened forms of those diminutives.

Cool!  Now, can you explain how we get Molly and Polly from Mary?   

[Diane AKA Traska]

New question:

How did "Hank" become a nick-name for "Henry?"

I don't know but I've had the same question about "harry" for years. Also "Jack" for John. It's not even shorter!

It's not about length. It's about the period in English history when only biblical names were allowed. I think I've read somewhere that 10% of Englishmen were named Tom at one point. Presumably John was similar. Combine that with the custom of naming boys after their male relatives and you had a lot of men in the one family with the same name, so they needed variations to distinguish them. Why those in particular, I'm not sure.

Warning!  Warning!  Onomastic history button pushed!

"Hank" and "Jack" are double diminutives.  Diminutives in most English names are shortened versions of names, like Mike and Will and Rob, but not always.  You also get things like "Johnnie", longer than the original John, which may hang on long after the older John in the family is gone. 

During the Middle Ages,  -ken/-kin/-kyn were common methods of forming diminutives (among others); they all mean 'little'.  The younger male relatives of John and Henry were sometimes tagged as Jankyn and Hankyn.  Jack and Hank are shortened forms of those diminutives.

Cool!  Now, can you explain how we get Molly and Polly from Mary?   

And Meg and Peg from Margaret?

[blue2000]

New question:

How did "Hank" become a nick-name for "Henry?"

I don't know but I've had the same question about "harry" for years. Also "Jack" for John. It's not even shorter!

It's not about length. It's about the period in English history when only biblical names were allowed. I think I've read somewhere that 10% of Englishmen were named Tom at one point. Presumably John was similar. Combine that with the custom of naming boys after their male relatives and you had a lot of men in the one family with the same name, so they needed variations to distinguish them. Why those in particular, I'm not sure.

Warning!  Warning!  Onomastic history button pushed!

"Hank" and "Jack" are double diminutives.  Diminutives in most English names are shortened versions of names, like Mike and Will and Rob, but not always.  You also get things like "Johnnie", longer than the original John, which may hang on long after the older John in the family is gone. 

During the Middle Ages,  -ken/-kin/-kyn were common methods of forming diminutives (among others); they all mean 'little'.  The younger male relatives of John and Henry were sometimes tagged as Jankyn and Hankyn.  Jack and Hank are shortened forms of those diminutives.

Cool!  Now, can you explain how we get Molly and Polly from Mary?   

And Meg and Peg from Margaret?

I'd like to know who first came up with Daisy for Margaret! It is a nice nickname, but still...

[lady_disdain]

Margaret comes from the Latin word for pearl, margarita.  In the Romance languages, the word also referred to daisies. So, Daisy is a nickname for Margaret since Margaret shares roots with Margarita/Margarida.

[blue2000]

Margaret comes from the Latin word for pearl, margarita.  In the Romance languages, the word also referred to daisies. So, Daisy is a nickname for Margaret since Margaret shares roots with Margarita/Margarida.

That's very interesting! I wonder why Pearl isn't used as a nickname for Margaret?