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These are all either misnamed or our perception has been faulty regarding what these really represent.
A peanut is not a nut, it’s a legume.
A panda is not a bear; it’s a relative of raccoons. Neither is a koala, which is a marsupial, like kangaroos.
There are no bald eagles, they simply have white feathers as adults, brown until then.
A firefly is not a fly, it’s a beetle.
A prairie dog is not a dog, it’s a rodent.
A lead pencil contains no lead, just wood and graphite, which resembles lead in color.
India ink is not from India, it’s from China and Egypt.
A Guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig, it’s a rodent from South America.
A shooting star is not a star, it’s a meteorite entering the earth’s atmosphere. Most burn up before reaching the ground, but all the earth’s platinum comes from meteors.
A Turkish bath is not Turkish, it’s Roman.
Mocha java is not a type of coffee, it’s any coffee shipped from the port of Mocha in Yemen; most of it is African.
A silkworm is not a worm, it’s a caterpillar.
A banana tree is not a tree, it’s an herb.
Mincemeat has no meat, it’s made of fruit.
A Mexican jumping bean is not a bean, it’s a seed with a larva inside.
Catgut is not from cats, it’s usually from sheep intestines.
Camel hair brushes are not from camels, they’re made from squirrel hair. However, red sable brushes are actually made from sable minks.
An English horn is not a horn, and it’s not from England, it’s an oboe from France. So why is it not simply called a French oboe?
A horned toad is not a toad, it’s a lizard.
A Douglas fir tree is not a fir, it’s a type of pine.
The funny bone is not a bone, it’s a nerve, the ulnar.
Myth-Information for Dinner
Chop suey is not a dish in China, it was invented in California by Chinese immigrants.
Pizza is not from Italy, it was invented in the United States. Italians invented tomato sauce because Europeans would not eat tomatoes, brought back from the new world, because they ate them raw like apples and they were a mess.
Hamburgers were invented in San Francisco which were preferred by sailors from Hamburg, Germany; they were eaten raw, which is also called Steak Tartar, so they can charge more.
Frankfurters were invented in the U.S. and named for sailors from Frankfurt, Germany; disputes abound over the original locale, New York City and San Francisco are the most likely cities.
Buffalo wings are not from the American bison, they originated in Buffalo, New York. (thanks, Judy!)
..and the pen is not mightier than the sword, it's lighter and easier to write with but too small for battle! This was probably said of Thomas Paine's pamphlet 'Common Sense' which sparked public interest in the American Revolution.
____________ (c) 2008, William L. Sinclair ____________
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3 comments:
and you drive on a parkway; and park on a driveway??
Yes - from Richard Lederer's book 'Crazy English'!
and.. Why are they called apartments when they're all stuck together? ...and both used by Gallagher in his special The Accountant, as in 'there's just no accounting for the English language'. CLASSIC STUFF!
I'm surprised a little that in over 7 years not one person has mentioned to you that a Panda (or "Panda Bear"), is in fact a bear, a part of the Family Ursidae. I think you are confusing it with the Red Panda, which is unrelated to the Panda - other than the fact they are both carnivores. They are in fact much closer in relation to Musteloids (skunks, weasels, raccoons) but have had their own Family classification for at least 15 years. In reality, nobody really knows what the bloody things are - other than cute.
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