Bookkeeper

Did you know that the only word in English that consists of three pairs of double letters is bookkeeper?

source www.infobarrel.com/…out_language

palindrome

Sorry, I have noticed late that someone has already written it, can I write something else, please??

In English there exist sentences or words that you can read the same and it doens´t matter if you read them forward or backward. Example :
racecar
radar
redder
refer
reifier
repaper
- they are called palindromes

source : www.rinkworks.com/…dromes.shtml

weird words

I've found a page about really strange, or weird (if you want), words. Some words are funny and order are a little amusing.

Bunghole – is an opening for filling or empting barrel
Doodle sack – is an old word for bagpipe
Impignorate – is an old meaning to mortgage something
Nudiustertian – is the day before yesterday
Pilliver – the meaning is a pillowcase
Umquhile – this word means something like earlier or previously
Vomitory – is a passageway in theater

squidoo.com/we­ird_words

CZenglish

CZenglish is an incorrect use of english by czech people. When we learn the meaning of english words we usually only read the first meaning of words. But this word we could use incorrectly and the sentence would have a completely different meaning. For example „please-prosit“. But in the sentence the word „please“ has an absolutely a different meanging: A Czech girl was working in a pub in the UK when the landlord asked her if she could possibly continue the shift to later. She replied, ?Only if you get down on your knees and please me.? Překlad: Mladá Češka pracovala v anglické hospodě, přišel k ní šéf a požádal jí, zda by mohla zůstat přesčas. Ona mu odpověděla: ?Jen když si klekneš a uděláš mi rozkoš.? …

Re: CZenglish

source: wikipeida

Do you know what is interesting in these sentences?

Rats live on no evil star.
or
Lisa Bonet ate no basil.

You can read them the same in both directions – from the beginning and also from the end. It is called palindrome.
The longest palindrome I found is this one:

T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad; I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet.

(source: fun-with-words.com/palin_e­xample.html; stason.org/TU­LARC/self-growth/puzzles/290-language-english-spelling-palindromes-p.html)

Re:

My mistake: there should be „You can read them the same way in both directions“

A few words of interest

I have to put something here too:

Which languages have arisen these words from ?

1. PEAK from PIK – Russian

2. BUNCH /bunch of flowers/ from BUNČA – Slovak

3. FART from PARD – Sanscrit

All of them mean the same as their original counterparts… 

English facts

* English is the most widespread language in the world and is more widely spoken and written than any other language.
* Over 400 million people use the English vocabulary as a mother tongue, only surpassed in numbers, but not in distribution by speakers of the many varieties of Chinese.
* Over 700 million people, speak English, as a foreign language.
* Did you know that of all the world's languages (over 2,700) English is arguably the richest in vocabulary; and that the Oxford English Dictionary lists about 500,000 words, and there are a half-million technical and scientific terms still uncatalogued?
* Three-quarters of the world's mail, telexes and cables are in English.
* More than half of the world's technical and scientific periodicals are in English
* English is the medium for 80% of the information stored in the world's computers
* English is the language of navigation, aviation and of Christianity; it is the ecumenical language of the World Council of Churches
* Five of the largest broadcasting companies in the world (CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC and CBC) transmit in English, reaching millions and millions of people all over the world.

Pardon my French

‚Pardon my French‘ is a common phrase used to apologize rude words (sometimes in advance). Source: one of my former colleagues; verified on Wikipedia and Oxford Advanced Learner?s Dic­tionary

Anthroponyms

Names of some people are used to describe various things. Some are very common (Remington typewriter, Molotov cocktail, sandwich, colt). But there are some behind which the person is not that ´visible´.

1.products:
- „be hit by shrapnel“ (Henry Shrapnel – artillery officer, died 1898)
- nicotine (Jean Nicotine – french diplomat, introduced tobacco in France in the 16th century)
- macintosh (=raincoat, Charles Macintosh – Scotish chemist, inventor, died 1843)

2.activities, phenomena:
- boycott (=refusal to take part in an activity, Charles Boycott – Irish land agent, refused to reduce rents, died 1897)
- silhouette (Etienne de Silhouette – controller of finances, died 1767)
- galvanize (Luigi Galvani – 18th-century Italian physiologist)

3. human types
- maverick (=nonconfromist individual, Samuel Maverick – 19th century Texas rancher who did not brand his calves)

– Maecenas (Gaius maecenas – Roman statesman, patron of literature, 8th century BC)

…and my favourite:
„Put your John Hancock here“
(=signature; John Hancock – one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence)

Isn´t that Gigantic?

(Jaroslav Peprník – English Lexicology, OL 2001)

Influence of the Romans

During the Antiquity, the Romans arrived and brought a new language – Latin. However, only a few Latin words entered the Celtic language.
In 410 AD, the Anglo-Saxons arrived from Holland and used a language named Englisc (the Old English) with many today words like field, dog, earth. 200 years later Latin appeared again when Saint Augustine brought Christianity.

Everyone knows how difficult can Eglish be and that there are so many exceptions in grammar. But I would like to draw your attention to vocabulary and the fact that even names describing animals we use in European English are not the same as those in north-american English. This can be a bit confusing.
Imagine a situation you are in the North America and want to say „los“ (animal) for example. You would probably say „elk“ as it is the word which occurs in dictionaries first. But be careful, for people in the North America „elk“ means „jelen“ and for „los“ they use the term „moose“
So if you want to use these terms for animals properly,you should bear in mind that even animals can be called in a different way and therefore translated incorrectly. (which reminds me the fact that we should check what we learn…and therefore not use,for example,term „raven“ when you want to say „havran“ which, of course is incorrect
So don´t spend so much time studying exceptions in grammar and devote some time to vocabulary,which certainly is interesting,as well 

(Lecture on the culture of North American Aboriginal people)

Re: Influence of the Romans – source

source: studyenglishto­day.net

Teddy Bear

= toy bear
The name „Teddy“ was Theodore Roosevelt´s nic­kname.
He didn´t want to shoot a small bear on a bear-hunting trip. This incident was appeared in The Washington Post as a political cartoon, which inspired Morris Michton- the creator of new toy – Teddy Bear.