WILD WORDS

Do You Speak Dog? 10 Words Inspired By Animals

Image: Jake Weirick

Whenever we think about vocabulary related to the animal kingdom, our mind usually goes to long, Latin scientific terms that seem extremely daunting to anyone not well-versed in biology. However, we sometimes fail to see how much our animal friends have also influenced the everyday words we regular joes use.

We have compiled ten common words that were either influenced by animals or that downright reference an animal in their meaning or etymology. These words range from the well-known to the utterly surprising. Enjoy!

Image: Matthew Henry

We’ll start with what’s probably the most surprising word in this list. The one question most of us ask whenever we see any dog is "Who’s a good boy?" We can’t really think of anyone who thought "Of course! This smiling, furry bundle of joy must be the root of one of the most pessimistic words in the English language".

The word "cynic", which means a doubtful, jaded person, comes from the Greek word cynikos, which can be translated both to "churlish" as well as "dog-like". Historians believe that the name comes from a philosopher movement known as the Cynical movement, who shocked their contemporaries by living in the streets and acting in a rude, indelicate manner.

Image: Silje Midtgård

Hobby horses are one of the most iconic, timeless toys in mankind’s history. There’s a pretty big chance that your grandparents or even your great-grandparents joyfully rode around their very own toy mount. You might be inclined to think that the "hobby" part of the name comes from it being a pastime.

However, it is actually the other way around: the word "hobby", as in an activity one does for recreation, comes from the hobby horse, which in turn comes from a very specific type of horse. It comes from hobin, an Old English word that means "small horse.

Image: alan braeley

Contrary to our entry on "cynic", here comes a word that is widely associated with dogs, but comes from an entirely different animal kingdom. The word pedigree, a record used mostly by dog and horse breeders to track down genealogy, comes from a French word that doesn’t designate either of these animals, but rather a very large bird.

Pedigree comes from the Anglo-Norman French term pé de grue, which translates to "foot of the crane." This is because, in family trees and genealogy lines, the shape the lines take resembles the claws of a crane.

Image: Nandhu Kumar

We could have used the picture of a butcher shop in this entry, but we felt it might have been a bit insensitive for the animal friends we are celebrating in this article. We ultimately decided on this adorable goat, in order to illustrate the etymological origins of this timeless profession.

The English word butcher comes from the Old French word bochier, which in turn comes from the word boc, which means "goat." This word found its way into the Middle English language, where it eventually evolved into the "butcher" we all know.

Image: Marii Siia

If you had to associate harpoons with any animals, it would probably be whales. We can thank Herman Melville for it: It’s almost impossible to picture a harpoon without it being furiously thrown by Captain Ahab onto his mortal enemy, the white whale Moby Dick. Interestingly, if we look at the etymological root of this word, there is another animal we can thank for the name of this fishing tool.

The word harpoon comes from the French word harpon, which is an iron structure used to hold stones together. In turn, this word comes from harpe, the word for a dog’s claw. It could be argued that the hooks of a harpoon loosely resemble the wave-like shape of a dog’s claw.

Image: Karthik B K

Medieval knights are seen in our modern lens as defenders of honor and purity, riding in shiny armor and noble stallions. However, the word cavalier, which is derived from the Spanish word for knight, couldn’t be further from the manners we attribute to these knights of Arthurian legend: this adjective is used to describe someone unmoved and uncaring about someone else’s troubles.

As we mentioned before, cavalier comes from caballero, the Spanish word for knight which itself comes from caballo, the Spanish word for horse. Despite the rudeness associated with the word cavalier, in Spanish, the word caballero is often used as a synonym for "gentleman".

Image: Mathew Schwartz

It could be argued that humankind’s obsession with flying sprouted from observing birds soar through the skies. From Icarus to Pegasus, many ancient myths focus on the undying human desire to fly, a desire which was finally fulfilled by Orville and Wilbur Wright in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Curiously, it seems that the word aviation predates the invention of the first airplane. Since they inspired our dreams of flying, it seems only natural that birds also inspired the name of the craft that gave us airplanes: aviation comes from avis, the Latin word for bird.

Image: Devon Janse van Rensburg

Again, why are so many negative words inspired by dogs? Aren’t they known as "man’s best friend"? In any case, this word is heavily associated with both babies desperately crying and people with authority yelling out orders, so we would like to take this time to apologize to every dog reading this for yet another instance of defamatory vocabulary.

Like the English noun "bark", the word "bawl" was inspired by the sound a dog makes. In Latin, the onomatopoeia for a dog’s bark is bau. This sound inspired the verb baulare, which can be translated to "bark like a dog." In the English language, "bawl" was first used to describe a dog’s bark, and its meaning was later on moved to distressing or authoritative loud noises made by humans.

By the way, on the off chance a dog actually made it to the end of this entry, we would like to commend them with a very affectionate "Who’s a good boy?"

Image: Hans-Jurgen Mager

We might need to go deep into history to find the origins of this word, since the word that describes this frigid yet beautiful region has evolved since the times of Ancient Greece. What’s more, the many roots that compose the word "arctic" seem to converge on one etymological origin, an ancient word that describes one of our favorite large mammals.

Tracing the origins of "arctic" takes us to the Old French word artique, which in turn takes us to the Latin word arcticus, and finally to the Ancient Greek words arktos and arktikos, which mean "bear" and "of the Bear Constellation" respectively.

Image: Brianna R.

We’ll end this article with an entry we found delightfully surprising. Blowing dandelions is one of those few childhood experiences we all seem to share, one of those universal pleasant memories that all adults look back on fondly. However, you might find it surprising that the animal behind the name of this pleasant flower is none other than the ferocious "King of the Jungle" himself.

The word dandelion is a mistranslation of the French word dent-de-lion. While you might think that the comparison between lions and dandelions comes from the resemblance between the yellow flower and a lion’s mane, the name actually takes inspiration from the plant’s jagged leaves, since the French word literally translates to "lion’s tooth".

Do you use any of these?

Why do we say ‘kick the bucket’? Discover 12 idioms with morbid origins

We use a lot of strange phrases without thinking twice, but some have surprisingly grim origins. Ever say someone "kicked the bucket" or "bit the dust"? These everyday expressions sound harmless, but have more somber roots. Take a look at 12 of these idioms. Do you use any of these?

In 13th-century Britain, bakers risked losing a hand if they sold underweight bread, according to the Assize of Bread and Ale under Henry III. To avoid punishment, they often added a little extra to each order.

When selling 12 loaves, bakers would include a 13th—called a "vantage" loaf. This became what is now known as "a baker’s dozen."

Saying you're "as pleased as punch" sounds cheerful, but it has dark roots. The phrase comes from Punch from the Punch and Judy puppet shows, who gleefully committed violent acts.

Popular in 17th-century England, these shows featured Punch killing his family and others with a slapstick, laughing after each act.

The phrase "meet a deadline" might sound stressful today, but its origins are far darker. During the Civil War, the "deadline" referred to a boundary at Andersonville Prison, where Union soldiers were held.

This line, 20 feet inside the outer wall, was meant to prevent escapes. Any prisoner who crossed it was shot by guards in pigeon roosts. The term came from this deadly boundary, where crossing meant certain death.

Today, a "blockbuster" refers to a huge commercial hit, but the term originally described powerful bombs from World War II.

The British Royal Air Force used blockbusters, massive cylinders filled with explosives, capable of destroying entire streets. It wasn’t until 1957, nearly a decade after the war, that the term shifted to describe big entertainment successes.

The phrase "to bulldoze" someone means to force or bully them, but its origins are much harsher. First used in 1876, "bull dose" referred to brutally whipping or beating someone, similar to how a bull might be punished.

By 1880, "bulldoze" became a verb, and eventually, the heavy machinery designed to push through obstacles was named a bulldozer.

The word "sinister" comes from the Latin sinister, meaning "left" or "on the left side." By the 15th century, left-handedness was associated with evil, often linked to witches and the devil.

Because of this stigma, left-handed people were forced to use their right hands. Today, however, we know that being left-handed doesn’t make anyone sinister, and many renowned thinkers, like Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin, were left-handed.

The Mad Hatter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is famous for his colorful personality, but his madness has historical roots. In the 18th and 19th centuries, hat-makers, known as "hatters," often suffered from mercury poisoning due to their work with the chemical.

This poisoning led to mental deterioration, giving rise to the idea of the "mad" hatter, a term that Carroll cleverly incorporated into his character.

Today, "pulling your leg" means joking or fooling around, but it once had a much darker meaning: in 19th-century London, thieves would pull people’s legs to drag them down before stealing their belongings.

This tactic was commonly used by robbers, turning what is now a lighthearted phrase into a serious crime.

In the world of films, we often see characters drinking whiskey before a quick surgery or amputation. But in real battlefields, soldiers didn’t have that option.

One theory about the origin of the expression "to bite the bullet" suggests that, during painful medical procedures, wounded soldiers would literally bite down on a bullet—taken from the ground or from their own weapon—to help endure the agony without crying out.

The phrase "God bless you" after a sneeze has several theories behind it. One theory links it to preventing the plague, while another suggests it’s a way of ensuring the soul stays in the body during a sneeze.

The phrase "kick the bucket" means to die and has been used since the 18th century. One theory connects it to the Catholic tradition of placing a bucket of holy water by the feet of the deceased for mourners to sprinkle.

Another theory suggests the term comes from 16th-century England, where "bucket" referred to a beam. When animals were hanged for slaughter, they would kick the beam as they died, giving rise to the idiom.

The phrase "bite the dust" likely originated in the 19th-century Old West, referring to gunfights and battles. It paints a vivid picture of someone falling to the ground and biting the dust after being struck by a fatal wound.

Over time, the expression broadened, and now it simply signifies someone’s death or defeat, no longer tied specifically to gunfights.