Vocab: Animals

Aloha Friends,

Aannnd I am back… I know I know, I have been AWOL for almost five days :-( so much for my commitment of posting daily. Hopefully I can stick to posting on a daily basis from now on… ‘hopefully’ is the operative word here.

So what was happening in the world around us these five days? Plenty. But what caught my eye was the comment on Twitter by Shashi Tharoor about travelling “Cattle Class” and then his getting into all that trouble. That incident set me thinking about the other words in English that use animals/refer to animals and here is a short list of the same.

Thanks for the idea Mr. Minister of State.

Running dog
A slave-like follower; lackey.
Etymology: It originates from the Chinese zougou, zou (running) + gou (dog). This is supposedly a reference to a dog running to follow its master's commands. This term was used by the Chinese Communist to refer to someone who served counter-revolutionary interest.

Stool pigeon
A person who works as a decoy or informer, especially for the police.
Note: Decoy is a person who entices or lures another person or thing, as into danger, a trap, or the like.
Etymology: Experts are not very certain of the origin of this phrase. It could be from the former practice of tying decoy pigeons to a stool therefore from the French estale or estal which referred to a pigeon used to entice a hawk into a net.

Guinea pig
Someone or something used as a subject of experimentation.
Etymology: This phrase has originated because earlier guinea pigs were used for experimentation.
Note: A guinea pig is neither from the West African country of Guinea nor is it a pig. It is a rodent from South America!!!

Coxcomb
A proud, egotistical man who is excessively interested in his appearance and dress. Another word for it is a ‘fop’.
Etymology: A variation of a cock's comb (the fleshy part on the head of a rooster). Professional Fools (yes such a profession existed too!!!) in medieval courts wore a cap with red strips like those in a cock’s comb. From there the sense of the term extended to a dandy – a person excessively concerned about his clothes and appearance. Metrosexual is the term that is used nowadays.

Bulimia
1. Excessive or insatiable appetite.
2. An emotional disorder marked by sessions of overeating followed by purging, by means of self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives.
Etymology: From bous (ox) + limos (hunger).
Literally speaking, bulimia is ox hunger. It is also known as boulimia, bulimia nervosa, bulimarexia, binge-purge syndrome.

Aah! That reminds me, I need to have my dinner. Off I go,

Ciao