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| Hi, |
Shakespeare spoke of the ages between twelve and
twenty. 'Teen ages' didn't exist at his time. The
word would appear in 1921 and form 'teenagers' a
generation later. We can wonder why it appeared
at all. The word teen (and teens) for youth had
been in use since the 17th century. English usually
shortens words not lengthens them.
It's difficult to imagine a vocabulary without teenagers
or teens. We have teen centers, teen magazines,
teen stars, teen chic, teen titans and more, not
to mention the great teenager market.
A completely different teen meaning to harm, hurt;
cause mischief; do damage; annoy, irritate; feel
anger or rage; suffer and grieve, was used for over
1000 years before it died out more than 100 years
ago. Or did it? The ancient word teen seems to have
a lot in common with the modern one. Is it just
a coincidence?
By Joel Miller
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"I told my
computer that machines will never be able to think like humans.
My computer thanked me for the compliment"
- Dartwill Aquila |
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What word does the
following group of five words have in common?
1. Bronze 2. Dog 3.
Morning 4. Rock 5.
Shooting |
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"When I was
a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly
stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one,
I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years"
- Mark Twain |
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The US didn't have a federal
income tax until 1862 (to pay for the Civil War) and ended
it in 1872. It was tried again in 1894 but declared unconstitutional
a year later. It returned in 1913 supported by an Amendment
to the Constitution and - as I'm sure you've noticed -
has been around since then.
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The original charter of the
United Nations was signed by 50 countries in 1945. It
was printed in five languages: Chinese, English, French,
Russian and Spanish. |
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"Adolescence:
A stage between infancy and adultery."
- Ambrose Bierce |
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| The following words entered the English language
90 years ago: |
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| Fox-trot
- A new ragtime dance considered sinful by many
at the time. |
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| Abstract
- A form of art with no clear representation of
people or objects. |
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