Things learned on the internet. Part XXIV

Lately, I have had small infestation of what I assume are fruit fly's. A quick search on the internets, and I was given this remedy : a small container filled with vinegar, and a couple drops of dish soap placed near the trash. The fly's go in for a swim, and they never come out....and it absolutely worked...who knew ? 

Except, now my kitchen smells of vinegar, which reminds me of some horrible chili I had at a local restaurant...but that is a whole different story.

Etymology :  The word 'vinegar' comes from the Old French vin aigre, meaning "sour wine".

Road Ends at Waters Edge

Hottest Trend Among Criminals: The Yankee Cap :

"The Times reported that since 2000, over 100 people suspected of committing a serious crime in the City were wearing Yankees attire either at the time of the crime or during their arrest or arraignment."

The Hot Word is a web site from Dictionary.com that explains the etymology of different words...

- Why is it called a 'pinkie' ?
- The “Emmy” of Emmy Awards isn’t a woman, or even human. What is it?

How giraffes fight.

From The Big Picture.

"Masai bachelor Giraffes Bo, 5, and Mac, 4, housed at the Racine, Wisconsin Zoo, engage in a necking duel on Friday, April 23, 2010. Giraffe necking is a type of sparring in which each giraffe swings its head or neck toward the other to demonstrate dominant behavior."

Etymology :

The species name camelopardalis (camelopard) is derived from its early Roman name, where it was described as having characteristics of both a camel and a leopard.[5] The English word camelopard first appeared in the 14th century and survived in common usage well into the 19th century. The Afrikaans language retained it. The Arabic word الزرافة ziraafa or zurapha, meaning "assemblage" (of animals), or just "tall", was used in English from the sixteenth century on, often in the Italianate form giraffa.

Sundries

A handyman who was injured after propping his ladder against the tree branch he then sawed off is suing his employers.

Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

Homemade Goldfish Crackers

The 'Field Of Dreams' is for sale

SubTropolis - The World's Largest Underground Business Complex

Sundry -
O.E. syndrig "separate, apart, special," related to sundor "separately" (see sunder). Phrase all and sundry first recorded 1389; sundries "odds and ends" is first found 1755. 

objects in the mirror are closer than they appear

Who thought it a good idea that "objects in the mirror are closer than they appear" ? It makes as much sense as the Meat Loaf song of the same name, and by the way Ohio, it is not a 'meer', it is a 'mĭr'ər'. 

According to Wikipedia : This makes objects smaller than they would appear if the driver viewed them in a flat mirror, or turned and looked at them directly. Since smaller objects appear farther away, the objects seen in the mirror look further away than they really are. If the driver does not consider this, they might make a maneuver (such as a lane change) assuming another vehicle was a safe distance behind, when in fact it was quite a bit closer. The warning is there to remind the driver of this potential problem. 

Only a government entity (US Dept of Transportation, regulation 571.111, rearview mirrors) could come up with this. 

So, mirrors reflect reality, except for those that are regulated by the government. Great.

mirror
Something that faithfully reflects or gives a true picture of something else. Dictionary.com

mirror

early 13c., from Old French mireor "a reflecting glass," earlier miradoir (11c.), from "look at," from Vulgar Latin. mirer*mirare, from Latin. mirari "to wonder at, admire". Fig. usage is attested from c.1300. The verb meaning "to reflect" is first attested 1820 in Keats's "Lamia."  from Online Etymology Dictionary

surprise

surprise

mid-15c., "unexpected attack or capture," from M.Fr. surprise "a taking unawares," from noun use of pp. of O.Fr. surprendre "to overtake," from sur- "over" + prendre "to take," from L. prendere, contracted from prehendere "to grasp, seize" (see prehensile). Meaning "something unexpected" first recorded 1590s, that of "feeling caused by something unexpected" is c.1600.         from Online Etymology Dictionary

Arabia Felix

Yemen
southwestern region of Arabia, from Arabic Yemen, lit. "the country of the south," from yaman "right side" (i.e., south side, if one is facing east). The right side regarded as auspicious, hence Arabic yamana "he was happy," lit. "he went to the right," and hence the L. name for the region in Roman times, Arabia Felix, lit, "Happy Arabia."

A country of southwest Asia at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula. It was ruled by various peoples, such as the Sabaeans, Himyarites, Romans, Ethiopians, and Persians, in ancient times. It was conquered in the 7th century A.D. by Muslim Arabs and became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The northern part (known as Yemen or North Yemen) was established as an independent kingdom in 1918 and made a republic in 1962.
(Dictionary.com)

The capital of Yemen is Sana'a 

Underwrite

underwrite

to write one's name at the end of (a policy), thereby becoming liable in case of certain losses specified in the policy.
1400–50; late ME, trans. of L subscrībere to write underneath, sign,

subscribe

1425, "to sign at the bottom of a document," from L. subscribere "write underneath, sign one's name," from sub "underneath" + scribere "write" . The meaning "give one's consent" first recorded 1549; that of "contribute money to" 1640; and that of "become a regular buyer of a publication" 1711, all originally literal.

 

a Ship's Captain, who was looking for investors to back his adventure, would place his name and ship on the table cloth in a tavern and those interested in investing in the adventure would write their name under it and the amount they wanted to invest. Thus the people who were investing became known as the underwriters. Underwriters also refers to people who would agree to put up money to insure the ship and its cargo against loss to the investors. The Underwriters would sign up on a sheet provided by Lloyd's of London, who would hole the money, and would put up an amount of money in hopes of getting a return by sharing in the profits of the adventurer. The people who agreed to put up the money became know as the ships Underwriters.

 

Online Etymology Dictionary