Parallel Text

COWARD The root word for coward comes from the Latin word for tail, couda, and originates from military terminology to refer to soldiers who placed themselves at the tail end of their regiment to avoid combat. We see the word reflecting an animal metaphoric sense in phrases such as turning tail and tail between the legs. A coward is thus, literally, someone who turns his tail and runs.

FUGUE - DYPTICH The word fugue comes from the Latin, fuga, meaning to escape or chase. A fugue state can make someone feel as if they are flying about and a fugue is also a classical composition that varies its theme with each voice continuously chasing the previous one. Both much like the feeling one gets from a merry-go-round.

LEFT HANDED COMPLIMENT In medieval Germany, marriage between a nobleman and a commoner was discouraged. During the marriage ceremony, the groom was required to place the ring on the left hand as opposed to the customary right. While to an outsider, the marriage appeared quite ordinary it was a marriage in name only as neither the wife nor the children could gain rank or property. This practice led to anything whose surface appearance was deceiving to be called ‘left-handed’ including a compliment.

SINCERE The practice of patching flaws in marble sculptures with bits of wax was originally developed during the Renaissance. A statue without flaws, and therefore without the camouflage of wax, was called a sculpture sin cera: without wax. The phrase later came to mean anything true and honest without hidden defects.

SOMMELIER The word sommelier journeys from mule to its modern day usage starting with the Middle French, somme, meaning burden to sommier which was a beast of burden. Later the word, sommelier, was created for the court official charged with the transportation of provisions and care of the mules and oxen and finally on to the modern day term for wine steward, sommelier, used throughout the world.

BARE FACED LIE The expression "bare-faced lie" originally referred to the idea that it is more difficult to hide lies with a clean-shaven face than with a beard, which can help hide deceptive behaviors. The meaning which the expression has taken over time is that a bare-faced liar is a person who does not bother to hide his deceptions because he does not care much if a person knows or not that he is lying.

MUTATE The opposite of ceteris paribus is mutatis mutandis, which means "those things having been changed that are to be changed". While this is also an expression used by economists, I have always been amused by the fact that the Italian word for underwear is "mutande" (which is derived from the same Latin verb "mutare", to change). So I always think of mutatis mutandis as a change of underwear.

MUTATE The opposite of ceteris paribus is mutatis mutandis, which means "those things having been changed that are to be changed". While this is also an expression used by economists, I have always been amused by the fact that the Italian word for underwear is "mutande" (which is derived from the same Latin verb "mutare", to change). So I always think of mutatis mutandis as a change of underwear.

MUTATE The opposite of ceteris paribus is mutatis mutandis, which means "those things having been changed that are to be changed". While this is also an expression used by economists, I have always been amused by the fact that the Italian word for underwear is "mutande" (which is derived from the same Latin verb "mutare", to change). So I always think of mutatis mutandis as a change of underwear.

MUTATE The opposite of ceteris paribus is mutatis mutandis, which means "those things having been changed that are to be changed". While this is also an expression used by economists, I have always been amused by the fact that the Italian word for underwear is "mutande" (which is derived from the same Latin verb "mutare", to change). So I always think of mutatis mutandis as a change of underwear.