

Things That Are Misnamed













Catgut is gut of sheep.



Baffin's Bay is no bay at all.



Arabic figures were invented by the Indians.



Turkish baths are not of Turkish origin.



Blacklead is a compound of carbon and iron.



Slave by derivation should mean noble, illustrious.



Turkeys do not come from Turkey, but North America.



Titmouse is not a mouse, but a little hedge sparrow.



Dutch clocks are of German (Deutsch), not Dutch manufacture.



Salt (that is table salt) is not a salt at all, but chloride of

sodium.



Galvanized iron is not galvanized--simply iron coated with zinc.



Ventriloquism is not voice from the stomach, but from the mouth.



Kid gloves are not kid at all, but are made of lambskin or sheepskin.



Pompey's Pillar, in Alexandria, was erected neither by nor to Pompey.



Tonquin beans come from Tonka, in Guinea, not Tonquin, in Asia.



Fire, air, earth, and water, called the four elements, are not elements

at all.



Rice paper is not made from rice, but from the pith of Tungtsau, or

hollowplant.



Japan lacquer contains no lac at all, but is made from the resin of a

kind of nut tree.



Pen means a feather. (Latin. penna, a wing.) A steel pen is therefore

an anomaly.



Jerusalem artichoke has no connection with Jerusalem, but with the

sunflower, girasole.



Humble pie, for umbil pie. The umbils of venison were served to

inferiors and servants.



Lunar caustic is simply nitrate of silver, and silver is the

astrological symbol of the moon.



Bridegroom has nothing to do with groom. It is the old English guma, a

man, bryd-guma.



Mother of pearl is the inner layer of several sorts of shell, and in

some cases the matrix of the pearl.



Sealing wax is not wax at all nor does it contain wax. It is made of

shellac, Venice turpentine and cinnabar.



Cleopatra's Needles were not erected by Cleopatra, nor in honor of that

queen, but by Thothmes III.



German silver is not silver at all, but a metallic mixture which has

been in use in China time out of mind.



Cuttle-bone is not bone, but a structure of pure chalk imbedded loosely

in the substance of a species of cuttlefish.



America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, a naval astronomer of

Florence, but he did not discover the New World.



Prussian blue does not come from Prussia. It is the precipitate of the

salt of protoxide of iron with red prussiate of potass.



Wormwood has nothing to do with worms or wood; it is the Anglo-Saxon

wer mod, man-inspiriting, being a strong tonic.



Honeydew is neither honey nor dew, but an animal substance given off by

certain insects, especially when hunted by ants.



Gothic architecture is not that of the Goths, but the ecclesiastical

style employed in England and France before the Renaissance.



Sperm oil properly means seed oil, from the notion that it was spawn

or milt of a whale. It is chiefly taken, however, from the head, not the

spawn of the spermaceti whale.



Whalebone is not bone, nor does it possess any properties of bone. It is

a substance attached to the upper jaw of the whale, and serves to strain

the water which the creature takes up.











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Catgut is gut of sheep.Baffin's Bay is no bay at all.Arabic figures were invented by the Indians.Turkish baths are not of Turkish origin.Blacklead is a compound of carbon and iron.Slave by derivation should mean noble, illustrious.Turkeys do not come from Turkey, but North America.Titmouse is not a mouse, but a little hedge sparrow.Dutch clocks are of German (Deutsch), not Dutch manufacture.Salt (that is table salt) is not a salt at all, but chloride ofsodium.Galvanized iron is not galvanized--simply iron coated with zinc.Ventriloquism is not voice from the stomach, but from the mouth.Kid gloves are not kid at all, but are made of lambskin or sheepskin.Pompey's Pillar, in Alexandria, was erected neither by nor to Pompey.Tonquin beans come from Tonka, in Guinea, not Tonquin, in Asia.Fire, air, earth, and water, called the four elements, are not elementsat all.Rice paper is not made from rice, but from the pith of Tungtsau, orhollowplant.Japan lacquer contains no lac at all, but is made from the resin of akind of nut tree.Pen means a feather. (Latin. penna, a wing.) A steel pen is thereforean anomaly.Jerusalem artichoke has no connection with Jerusalem, but with thesunflower, girasole.Humble pie, for umbil pie. The umbils of venison were served toinferiors and servants.Lunar caustic is simply nitrate of silver, and silver is theastrological symbol of the moon.Bridegroom has nothing to do with groom. It is the old English guma, aman, bryd-guma.Mother of pearl is the inner layer of several sorts of shell, and insome cases the matrix of the pearl.Sealing wax is not wax at all nor does it contain wax. It is made ofshellac, Venice turpentine and cinnabar.Cleopatra's Needles were not erected by Cleopatra, nor in honor of thatqueen, but by Thothmes III.German silver is not silver at all, but a metallic mixture which hasbeen in use in China time out of mind.Cuttle-bone is not bone, but a structure of pure chalk imbedded looselyin the substance of a species of cuttlefish.America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, a naval astronomer ofFlorence, but he did not discover the New World.Prussian blue does not come from Prussia. It is the precipitate of thesalt of protoxide of iron with red prussiate of potass.Wormwood has nothing to do with worms or wood; it is the Anglo-Saxonwer mod, man-inspiriting, being a strong tonic.Honeydew is neither honey nor dew, but an animal substance given off bycertain insects, especially when hunted by ants.Gothic architecture is not that of the Goths, but the ecclesiasticalstyle employed in England and France before the Renaissance.Sperm oil properly means seed oil, from the notion that it was spawnor milt of a whale. It is chiefly taken, however, from the head, not thespawn of the spermaceti whale.Whalebone is not bone, nor does it possess any properties of bone. It isa substance attached to the upper jaw of the whale, and serves to strainthe water which the creature takes up.Next: The Language Of The Flag Previous: Curious Facts About Hair Viewed 14398