You won't believe where the word "dude" actually came from

Have you ever stopped to wonder where our everyday words actually come from? You might be surprised to learn that dude started as a way to poke fun at men who were too fastidious about their outfits. Or that we owe the word hello to Thomas Edison, who thought it was a much better choice than Alexander Graham Bell’s suggestion, "ahoy" for telephone calls. Even the word OK is the lone survivor of an 1830s game of misspelled phrases. Let's explore the hidden stories behind the words we think we know so well.

Picture New York City in the early 1880s. Back then, dude was used to describe a "fastidious man," essentially a guy obsessed with his clothes and appearance. Some researchers believe it was actually a shortened version of "Yankee Doodle," referring to the character in the famous patriotic song. It was also used to make fun of people following the "aesthetic" fashion craze of the 1880s.

In the late 1800s, a dude was any Easterner who showed up looking a little too clean in the Western region of the US. From this, we get the term dude ranch, which was first recorded around 1921 to describe ranches that hosted these city-dwelling tourists for pay. It wasn't until the mid-1960s, in African-American jargon, that dude began to lose its negative edge and became a way to refer to any male.

While it feels like it’s been around forever, hello is actually a relatively young word. Its first known appearance dates back to 1826, in a Connecticut newspaper. Linguists believe it grew out of words like "hallo" or "hollo," which were used as loud calls to get a ferryman’s attention across a river or to urge hunting dogs forward.

It’s often said that Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, wanted people to answer the telephone with "ahoy!", but American inventor Thomas Edison pushed for "hello" as a clearer option. His version caught on, and soon telephone operators were known as "hello girls," helping turn the word into the everyday greeting we still use today.

Have you ever stopped to wonder where the word OK comes from? It first appeared in 1839 as the unique survivor of US slang. During this time, it was a common joke to use abbreviations for phrases based on deliberate misspellings. For example, people would use "N.C." for "enough said" as if it were spelled "nuff ced," or "K.Y." for "no use" as if it were "know yuse." And "OK" was used for "oll korrect".

This term was later popularized during the 1840 presidential election by the "OK Club," supporters of Martin "Old Kinderhook" Van Buren, and stuck because it provided a practical way to authorize documents. In 1919, Woodrow Wilson used the spelling "okeh" under the mistaken belief that it came from a Choctaw word meaning "it is so," though there was no historical evidence to support this. That version was eventually replaced by the modern spelling "okay" appeared in 1929.

The word jazz first appeared in American English around 1912, and it actually started as baseball slang rather than a musical term. In those early days, sports writers in California used it to describe something "lively" or "energetic," which is a meaning we still carry today when we say we want to "jazz something up." It likely grew out of the 1860s slang word jasm, which meant energy, vitality, or spirit, or from even an older word, gism, which carried a similar meaning in the mid-1800s.

The term was first applied to a new style of music in Chicago in 1915, specifically referring to Tom Brown’s all-white band from New Orleans. By 1918, the word also began to mean "unnecessary talk" or "rubbish," and the famous phrase "all that jazz," meaning "et cetera," was eventually recorded around 1939.

The origin of this word is not clear, but what is certain is that in the late 1700s, a quiz wasn't a test; it was a person. It was slang for someone who acted or dressed differently from the rest. By the 1840s, this grew into a common schoolboy prank where students would play jokes at the expense of someone they considered a quiz. Eventually, the meaning shifted toward the idea of a "puzzling question" designed to make someone look a bit foolish.

Around 1852, the word was used to describe a brief examination of a student. These early quizzes were usually oral and were designed to be a "thorough review" of lectures. By 1853, medical schools even had "quiz classes," where a system of close questioning was used to help students become familiar with their subjects in a way they couldn't get anywhere else.

Where does the word dog come from? The answer is still a mystery. The word docga is traced in some English as a reference to a powerful breed of canine, but the roots of the term have not been found yet.

It has replaced the terms hound, related to the German word hund, and cur, related to the German word korren, for growling. However, by the 16th century, the word dog was adopted in many continental countries: French dogue, Danish dogge, and German Dogge. What is more, in Spanish, they use the word perro for dog, and it also has an unknown origin. Were these terms first used as slang or nicknames?

Back in the mid-1200s, the word boy didn’t mean a child at all; it was used for a "servant," "commoner," or even a "troublemaker." By around 1300, it could also mean a "rascal" or "young criminal," and only by the mid-1300s to 1400 did it start to be used for a male child.

Although there are a few theories, its exact origin is still unknown. Some link it to Old French and Latin words related to servants. Linguist Anatoly Liberman even suggests it may come from a mix of a sound for an evil spirit and a baby word for brother. In places like Ireland, Cornwall, and the American West, boy could simply mean man. From around 1600, it was also used for enslaved or servant men, no matter their age.

We are used to seeing the term bad as the direct antithesis of good. But has it always been like that? The answer is negative. The direct opposite of good was originally evil until the 1700s, and bad was used less frequently.

It also has no other language relations. It is believed to be from the Old English derogatory term baeddel and its diminutive baedling, meaning "effeminate man, hermaphrodite, predrast," which are probably related to baedan, meaning "to defile."

Another word in the ‘origin unknown’ category is big. The word was first registered in the 13th century in writings from northern England and the North Midlands, with a sense of "powerful; strong." It is believed to have roots in a Scandinavian source, where the term bugge means "great man" in Norwegian dialect_._

Big started to be part of the English daily vocabulary in the 1400s, meaning "of great size," "full-grown, grown up," or "important, influential, powerful". In the 1500s, the sense of "haughty, inflated with pride" was added, and by 1913, it was also used to mean "generous."

Around the 1300s, the word girl (spelled gyrle) meant "a child or young person," and it could refer to both boys and girls, although it was used more often for females. Its exact origin is unknown, but the Oxford English Dictionary suggests it may come from a lost Old English word (gyrele). This possible root is linked to similar words in Germany, Norway, and Sweden, all meaning "small child."

Over time, the meaning changed. By the late 1300s, girl began to mean specifically a female child. By the mid-1400s, it was also used for a young unmarried woman. In the 1640s, it could mean "sweetheart," and by 1826, old girl was used for women of any age.

Avian vocabulary

Chirp, chirp! Discover 10 idioms directly inspired by birds!

Image: Sid Balachandran

Humankind has a lot to thank birds for, from the chicken and eggs we gladly consume every day to their wonderful flights, which influenced the creation of the airplane. Not only that, but birds are truly unique creatures: Think of their bright colors and the complicated melodies found in their chirps, and you’ll see what we mean. In that sense, it seems only logical that these wonderful creatures have influenced the way we speak. With that in mind, here are 10 of the most popular phrases and idioms that reference our feathery friends. Enjoy!

Image: Patrice Bouchard

The phrase "birds of the same feather" is commonly used to describe how similar or like-minded people tend to connect and form groups. Interestingly, it seems that this idiom is actually an abbreviation of a longer and older English proverb, which states, "Birds of a feather flock together." This phrase was prominently used in literary classics such as Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and James Joyce’s Ulysses.

Image: Tom Ungerer

Chickens tend not to be the most secretive of birds; they are famously flightless and are not exactly known for their dexterity or stealth. Regardless, they are known to escape from time to time, which is where the idiom "to fly the coop" comes from. It is used whenever someone escapes or goes away. Notably, it is also used by broken-hearted parents whenever their children leave home.

Image: Bri Tucker

Speaking of chickens, the phrase "mother hen" is used to describe someone with a particularly strong and protective maternal instinct. As you probably guessed, this phrase comes from the way hens hatch and nurse their chicks, keeping them close for several weeks until they are able to wander off on their own. While this idiom is sometimes seen in a negative light, at the end of the day, a "mother hen" is someone with a lot of love to give. So, we’d like to take a second to salute all the mother hens out there.

Image: Lidia Stawinska

Most of us deal with one or two "pecking orders" in our lives: Think back to that boss you simply can’t talk back to, or the respect you were expected to have for your headmaster at school. This social hierarchy comes from birds that tend to live in hierarchical structures, where their social standing is determined by who they can peck without fear of retaliation (and who may peck them back).

Image: Odd Sun

Many of us are night owls, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe you find solace in the darkness of night, and it is during this time that you do your best work or can concentrate and study harder. As the name suggests, this idiom comes from owls, perhaps the quintessential nocturnal bird. Most owls hunt at night and sleep during the day, although some species can be crepuscular or even diurnal.

Image: Gauravdeep Singh Bansal

Who hasn’t looked up at the clear skies and seen a flock of birds pass by without a worry in their minds? If you’re like us, you were probably a tad envious of those birds’ freedom. Coincidentally, that feeling perfectly describes the idiom "as free as a bird." The image is rather self-explanatory: Birds tend to fly wherever they want, with nothing to stop them as they traverse the skies above.

Image: David Trinks

Who would have known that sporting a feather in your hat was once considered a fashion statement? The phrase "a feather in your cap" is used to describe an achievement and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it. Putting the titular feather in your cap means celebrating this success. While the origin of the phrase is unclear, some believe it is an old tradition associated with hunting, where a hunter would place a freshly plucked feather in their cap as a trophy after a successful hunt.

Image: Mathew Schwartz

Whenever a friend or relative encourages you to "spread your wings," they are suggesting that you experiment with new things and confidently gain more experience in life. When you think about it, it’s rather funny that we find encouragement to try new things in something that birds do every day: After all, they spread their wings whenever they need to fly, right? In any case, the image invoked by this idiom is still a powerful one and remains one of the best ways to inspire someone to do great things.

Image: Jean Giroux

On one hand, the meaning of this idiom is quite literal: When you tell someone that "the early bird catches the worm," you might be suggesting that they need to get up earlier. However, this idiom can also convey the importance of being first, acting quickly to make the most of opportunities. Interestingly, this idiom seems to be at odds with another popular proverb, which states, "Good things come to those who wait." At the end of the day, both ideologies are valid, so choose whichever works best for you!

Image: Chris Smith

We’ll end with an idiom that made many small children loathe small birds. Whenever you did something you weren’t supposed to, did your parents confront you by saying that "a little birdie" told them you misbehaved? Nowadays, this phrase is used to refer to a piece of information heard through someone else, such as a friend or coworker who wishes to remain anonymous.