Busy as heck today.
Which one is the odd one out?
a) shampoo
b) khaki
c) juggernaut
d) panjandrum
e) pundit
Highlight for the answer: It's d, Panjandrum. The others entered the English language through the Raj--"shampoo" is from a Hindi word meaning "to press," which became part of a massage and bath; "khaki" is an Urdu word for "dust colored"; "Juggernaut" is from a word for a float in Hindu religious parades, under the wheels of which devotees were (allegedly) ready to throw themselves, and "pundit" is derived from "pandit," an honorific for teachers or masters of a craft. "Panjandrum" was apparently made up from whole cloth by a guy named Samuel Foote in the middle of the 18th century.
Back to work.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
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