Jury-Rigged Jerry-Built & My Birthmark :-)
Where did “Jury-Rigged” & “Jerry-Built” come from?
And a fun.. stupid.. find my birthmark game!
One of the winners will receive a prize.. I don’t know
what yet.. but I’ll make it good.. I promise!
Remember to vote for your teacher over at the Best Weekend Ever Website.
You can vote up to 5 times a day.
Posted on February 18, 2008 · Filed Under Lessons
What was the prize? I missed it. Sorry.
I always did think jerry-rigged was originally a reference to something pieced together from cheap matreials using the slang for German’s I’m familiar with from WWII. Especially being from the South I have heard other versions more often which substitue the word “jerry” with other terms (ex. a deragotory slang for african americans) that are offensive but have become the only phase some people know to describe something pieced together from misc stuff (well or shoddly) even if they do not espouse a bigotry. I’m thankful for the Macguyver show that I have turned to the alternative non offensive term “Macguyvered” as a substitute.
hmmm, where did the word bigotry come from?
I don’t know if anyone found your birthmark, yet. I’d be happy to stay after class and launch and exhaustive search, my teacher…
have you put an ad in the paper with it’s description? Maybe someone will find it and return it to you soon.
-your humble apprentice
Ha Ha! Great idea - she never did show us - she was just teasing us.
Let’s have a picture of it on every lamp post. What do you think would be a fitting reward for the finder?
The reward for finding the birthmark should at least be the honor of personally re-attaching it and a date with Marina on the finders birthday (hmmm, possibly correctly attired in birtday suits… bit i digress).
I’m fascinated by the thought of what Marina’s birthmark might look like!
I’ve learned there are a number of different types of birthmarks which are known to include, but are not limited to, stork bites, Mongolian blue spots, strawberry marks, café au lait spots, congenital melanocytic nevi, and port-wine stains.
Then again there is the band!
http://www.birthmarkmusic.com
I think you’ve been doing too many Rorschach inkblot tests.
I prefer the Holtzman Inkblot Test personally
macguyver
hell yeah my man macguyver!!! I have a hard time throwing stuff out because i just might need a spring from an old whose-what’sit for a what-cha-micallit.
when I do toss it out I find a need for it a day later.
i have found that copper wire is great for many things like the copper wire found in home wireing i never go without a few feet of copper strand wire so many projects have been finished with copper wire it’s the best
also different diameters of rubber hose
Hm, I hope I don´t say anything wrong, but is your Birthmark on your left upper arm ?
Right from the owner’s POV.
Define “Owner”
At owner´s risk
Hm, best tape where you can see it is the Lieutenant one…it´s her right arm, but…. … I´m Chuckoo
Looks like a big brown “substance”….
Darn, it moved away (saw it ?)…..
Ok, I have to go and get some stuff for my mother´s garden, when i get back there prolly come some more freaky tells by Tedt - The Machanic
For my name (Shawn) I found that it actually means John which is Hebrew for Yekhovaw (God) has been gracious. Michael, my middle name means Who is like God? and Norris means norhtherner or man of the north. If it were to be put into a sentence it might read: Yehkovaw has been gracious (to give a) man of the North!! Who is like God? Would you say that it’s etymologically correct to say that people’s full names have a whole sentence behind them and mean something about the person and describe the person as well? …..
Let me add a suggestion i have used a message board before & know that lame comments ironically apply to picking up a date with our hostess are too distracting for us who want to learn & too degrading to someone of such a high intellect.
5 stars
Wow is this ever a popular thread.
I am entirely too lazy to look for the birthmark, but I love that little smoochy noise you make with your lips. It’s cute, and.. sort of .. goofy. Which just makes it cuter to me, but.. it’s still goofy.
I am surprised that the word “Gerrymander” didn’t come up in your explanation of Jury-Rigged and Jerry-Built.
Jury-rig Jury-Rigging is a Nautical term dating back to 1788 according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Thomas Newte’s A Tour in England and Scotland published in 1788.”The ships to be jury rigged: that is, to have smaller masts, yards, and rigging, than would be required for actual service.”
I think I might even have a midshipman book somewhere that has even an earlier use of the word. I think the term was first used around early 1600s.
When I worked on the Tall Ship Lady Washington back in 1998 as a “square rigger top man”. I remember the term was still being used but more as a positive use. Even today I see jury rigging on small sailboats that have lost their mast because of a storm. Note Jury-Mast is the log or pole and Jury-Rigging refers to the ropes, lines, tackle.
The term Jerry-Rig was never used on tall ships.
Well thats my take on this.
As you probably know, it’s curently Lent, which ends on Easter Sunday. Traditionally, (and for a reason unknown to me) we celebrate a giant rabbit that hides eggs and goodies for little children. I was wondering if you could find the origin of the Easter Bunny in honor of the upcoming holiday. Also, could you find the link that ties this massive egg hiding rabbit to the resurection of Jesus Christ? I’m really curious to find out where we got this odd tradition.
Your newly devoted fan,
Chrisby280
MacGiver Jerry rigg like i did i’m a retired US Navy Seal demo expert we Augie rigged a lot in the Vietnam War as for your birthmark game i’ll be very happy to take you out for a smiple dinner than i can show you in person where all your 6 birthmarks are KISSES TEACHER
Well we currently use jerry rigged cause we can’t say nigger rigged anymore but I want to know hwere nigger rigged comes from I know nigger is a basterdization of the spanish word negro but why does nigger rigged mean the same as jerry/jury rigged? Also rig used to mean gear/clothes why did people stop using that expretion?
so what happened to the birthmark game?
Obviously no-one has got it right yet, so…
Time to reveal the true location?
I believe it is a strawberry shaped port-wine mark on her forehead above the left eye and is usually covered by skilfully applied concealer make-up or by that lock of hair which she allows to hang down towards her left eyebrow.
Bob
hm. there’s something above her upper lip, too. yeah, time to reveal the true location. :/
There are multiple famouse jurry rigged shows (i.e. MacGiver, Tim The Tool Man Taylor from Home Improvement, This Old House, etc.) Another place Jurry rigged comes from U.S. History when court cases in the old west that had a Jurry were no to be rigged. This lasted all the way up until the time of the roaring 20’s with gangster trials like Al Capone and others.
Okay, well back in the day, on early Saturday morning cartoons. I always saw the infamous coyote by the name of Wil E. Coyote “jury-rig” this contraptions to get Roadrunner. Could this, perhaps, be the the answer to the homework?
Hi Marina, my trusty hot teacher!
Apparently, there are 4 birthmarks.
One on the right arm, 2nd one above the upper right breast, and the last 2, under the big booobs.
Am I right or do I have 2 review all videos again?!!
Sorry, upper left side of the right breast!
Hi i always thought the origin of the term jerry-built was from the story of the walls of jericho coming down ?
I got to b honest with you I’ve never heard of jury-rigged and jerry-built before. I wish I jury-rig a way to see my ex-girlfriend more often and hopefully go back out. we were forced to call it quits almost a year ago but we’re at least staying in touch.
I was wondering if you could show an example of a word or term that has undergone a significant semantic change. Preferably not an internet term- it would be too easy, right?
Cardsharps.
You know its interesting that you mentioned the possibility of being a witch and this rigorous birthmark quest. To identify witches women were searched for the “devil’s mark”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft begins by stating:
“According to witch-hunters during the height of the witch trials, the witches’ mark (also called a Devil’s mark or a witches’ teat) indicated that an individual was a witch. The witches’ mark was believed to be the permanent marking of the Devil on his initiates to seal their obedience and service to him. He created the mark by raking his claw across their flesh, or by making a blue or red mark using a hot iron. Sometimes, the mark was believed to have been left by the Devil licking the individual. The Devil was thought to mark or “brand” the individual at the end of nocturnal initiation rites.”
MacGyver, I think thats how it’s spelled. I thought I noticed two little birthmarks to the left of your belly button. I think.
Mortified! Oh… I guess I’m a little late, new video.
MacGuyver would be the charactor , I’ll guess your birthmark is on your back , upper right side , looking forward to the next lesson , Thanks.
Hey Marina,
New subscriber. You are awesome! and I think what you are doing is wonderful!!. My word requests: “couch”, “kitchen”, “cocktail” and my occupation “bean counter”
Keep
Where did the word “WORD” or “WORDS” come from?
I thought it would be fun to do a definition of that which has brought this website into being!
hey Marina,
So is your birth mark on your right thigh by any chance? Nice thigh too 
…and some moles and your freckles are lovely too, You should try ‘no make up day’ maybe in a pod cast, see if any students notice! A word witch you say? I have to agree, absolutly bewitched by you 
Spellbound.
so homework, yeah, may cheat on this occasion and copy some one elses :)….So, i just spent hours going through old podcasts to find this b-mark. Should have guessed it was in your most recent
oh and Marina, can you fix the airconditioning unit please? its so hard to consentrate with all this heat in class, not good for global warming either!
also, found ‘Cataplexy’ in dictionary…. cool word?
marina,
Like really long words? I’m addicted to them
PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS
Hello Marina.
Good lesson ,thank you.five stars as always.
I have looked and looked ,but all i see is perfection.I could not find any birthmark,even where other people said thy were.And if you were a witch you would be the good witch of the east,like in the wizard of oz.She’s so pretty just like you.
okay heres something that we got into a little debate on in our french class. how come we call other countries different names than they call themselves. for example, the germans call their country deuchland, the french call it allemagne, and we call it germany. howcome? it just would make more sense to me if we called countries what they call themselves, but there must be some etymological reason for this. thanks!
not an easy question.
“deutsch” (”german”) comes from lat. “theodiscus”. “theodiscus” is a word “invented” by scholars to distinguish latin from, and refer to, the language that the “ordinary” people spoke. it comes from germanic ” *theod-” (”folk”, “people”) + “-isk(a)”. “-isk” is a suffix that “makes” adjektives. so, “theodisk” actually means “folkish”. but, it referred only to the langauge. old high german (about 700 — 1100 ad) knows the word “diutisk” or “diutisc”. that changed over time to “deutsch”.
as for “germany”. I’m not sure. only thing I recall is that it comes from latin “germanus”. “germanus” should be older than “theodiscus”.
as for “france”, I can only guess. a germanic tribe, the franks, settled in an area around what today is toulouse. they replaced the wisigoths who then went further west and settled in a region which is now spain. so, “france” maybe comes from the franks.
right next to franks, to the east, settled another tribe. the allemanni. so, the franks and the alemanni were neighbours. maybe this is where “allemagne” comes from.
It’s an easy question and don’t fall for all that scientific rigamarole (now there’s a word). It can all be easily explained by the Towering Inferno of Babel. “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” Genesis 11 King James Version
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&cha pter=11&version=9
Actually I have always been interested in the various ways in which cultures have explained the origin and/or diversity of languages and thus place names. The myths really say a lot about a culture and its world view. There are many language origin stories and it is fascinating to read and study them. A great start is: http://www.primitivism.com/language.htm
As for the explanation of place names. (at long last) I would say, because alx didn’t, is the importance of place names in defining cultural autonomy. A process that can be well understood by considering the impact of Colonialism. Being able to determine and retain the place name of one’s region is to express independence. To ignore another’s is to maintain the validity of national world view. Consider East and West Germany.
right. I agree with buzzword. you better fall for religious rigamarole. those are easier explanations.
Alex! what’s the meaning of “Theodore”?
Is it related to the word “Theod”?
I think it’s related to greek “theos” which means “god”.
oh, right, as for the “-dor” … should be from greek “doron”, “gift”. so … theodore should be “god’s gift” or “gift of god”.
hey marina,
what is the origin of the word “universe” i know uni means one, like it is one big thing, but the history?
thanks!
Hello Marina,
I always wonder about the word labyrinth, because is a little strange
I hope to see my word in one of your show
Greetings from the northern land
Franco
Creative euphemism, like for example “Frankfurter and Beans”
Your birthmark is above the right breast, almost near your cleavage.
Tim the tool-man or Red Green show on PBS
Marina,
i would like to know the meaning and origin of the word PERSNICKETY.
Thank you
Marina, I wanted to know if you could tell me the origin of the “F” word. I have been told that the “F” word is German which means to strike. Also i have been told the it was an acronym that was place above prisoners cells in germany. what do you think????
Hey Teach! I used to hate school, now I love it. I actually used the word “balderdash” today in conversation. Do you know what that means? I was also telling the guys at work about HotforWords. I’m teaching them new words now! Here’s a phrase that came up in conversation this morning. The phrase is “rule of thumb” I was told this meaning goes way back to when the laws said a husband could legally take a switch; (another interesting word) no wider than His thumb, to whip His wife with. Ouch. I’m not advocating taking a switch to anybody. How do you deal with unruly students? A Dunce cap, perhaps. XXXoooXXX Eric
Birthmark…. well, I will guess you have a freckle or freckles. Perhaps an Iris Nerva?
First things first. If moles count as birthmarks I’d say on the epidermus over your left “Extensor Capri Radialis Longus” left forearm. I had to look that up & I learned something else and enjoyed the search if you Know what I mean. Also a little scar on your tricep Probably from trying to Macgyver something in the classroom for the Janitorial staff. Although the profrofessor on Guilligans Island Probably Macgyvered best with the least , he was smart enough not to get off the Island. Think about it Marooned: Mary Anne (Favorited) & Ginger Ah. The competition, Not
:
Hi Marina,
Great job, as always.
I think MacGuyver was the one who “jury rigged” everything. It is interesting that this word has actually found its way into the lexicon, and a “mcguyver” is “any person who handily uses everyday objects to find a way out of a dangerous situation.” It is also a verb, ” to get out of a tight situation with a tool or item used in an innovative manner; to make something astounding using a simple tool or simple items.” see http://www.dictionary.com. However, I don’t know why they changed the spelling. Any ideas?
Also, you can yourself be a mcguyver - using everyday objects for extraordinary purposes: http://lifehackery.com/2008/01/23/99-extraordinary -uses-for-ordinary-objects/
or,
http://www.sneakyuses.com/thebooks.html
(don’t worry, there’s nothing “inappropriate” in those links)
Thanks again, Marina. I’m looking forward to your next video.
Eric
Marina,I believe Anthropologists and maybe Linguists theorize about language dating back well before written histories.Would You consider doing some vids with that in mind? Sort of like if “Ama” was the beginning of “Mama” or “Mother” in some way shape or form.Does philology cover any possibilities of such age or is it restricted mainly to recorded history? This will not be easy but I have faith in Your ability.
Now as a possibly unpleasant sidenote; I like to see the truth,will You do a video with 0-each makeup? C’mon,be brave,We’re All curious I’m sure. Maybe just brush Your hair to a wild-yet-controlled look and flip the cam switch on! Start a new and wonderful trend among women worldwide! You are the perfect example to pull it off!
Tryant-not “Tyrant” by any means.
First check out: http://james.fabpedigree.com/lmold.htm Really great source of information and further links regarding your question.
Languages of the past can be recovered by comparative reconstruction from their descendants. The comparative method relies mainly on pronunciation, which changes very slowly and in highly systematic ways. If you apply it to French, Spanish, and Italian, you reconstruct late colloquial Latin with a high degree of accuracy; this and similar tests show us that the method works.
Also, if you use the comparative method on unrelated languages, you get nothing. So comparative reconstruction is a test of whether languages are related (to a discernible degree).
The ancient languages Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and several others form a group known as Indo-European. Comparative reconstruction from them gives a language called Proto-Indo-European which was spoken around 2500 B.C. Many Indo-European words can be reconstructed with considerable confidence (e.g., *ekwos ‘horse’). The grammar was similar to Homeric Greek or Vedic Sanskrit. Similar reconstructions are available for some other language families, though none has been as thoroughly reconstructed as Indo-European.
Excerpt from: http://www.zompist.com/lang1.shtml
More on Indo-European and other language family structures: http://www.zompist.com/lang8.html#IE
A little more on Comparative Reconstruction: http://www.zompist.com/lang9.html#10
problem is, no one can prove it.
many linguists say that it’s not even a reconstruction but an abstraction.
could have been that way, could have been different. we just don’t know.
“comparative reconstruction” means: we take a few words from a few languages, determine the average and … there you go … we have the indo-european root. great thing, huh? well, they know that they can’t be sure about the “reconstructed” terms, so those terms are reconstructed “with considerable confidence” which is just another academic term for “we have no freaking clue”.
so much for scientific rigamarole.
every serious science will rely only on given data. that means, (historical) facts. you need facts to build up a theory. anything else is just guessing.
The A Team …they would Jury-Rigged Jerry-Built stuff …that Show must come Back……NIGHT RIDER is back in usa !!
there useing a ‘Black’ Mustang Ford GT500KR !!
Looks so cool …….i hope they put a episode of K.A.R.R…..in one …..
heres a word i would like to Know VEHICLE…….the A-team van was cool and so was Kitt……memorys of great Shows….
The only jerry thing i can do is Finsh of a Whole Icecream tub of ben& Jerrys Phlish icecream
……..just So yummy like you oxoxox
I would like to guess about the birthmark….
I would venture to guess it is below the left breast, and shaped like Australia, about the size of a quarter.
And I would like to ask where “celebrity” came from.
I am a new subscriber and love your site.
Thank you
I vote for MacGyver, as he was always making something amazing with his Swiss Army Knife (I am NEVER without mine!), duct tape and random trash.
My best “MacGyver” moment was when I was cross country skiing with friends. We were way back in the woods at night, miles from our cars, when my friend Debbie’s ski boot came off the sole. She was in tears as she thought about the long walk back. Well, I just happened to have 2 mini bungie cords on my person, which I used to reconnect her boot to the sole. Happy ending.
As for birthmarks, hard to say as I am usually looking into your beautiful blue eyes.
FishyMack
Wil.E.Cyote. (always preferred ‘bugs’ myself!)
My favorite is where he attached a rocket to his back in order to catch up with Roadrunner, but ended up shooting past him and over a cliff instead! (I sound like a little kid)
Speaking of Warner Bros cartoons…. ‘Bugs’ Bunny derives his name from ‘bunny rabbit’. Could you explain where the ‘bunny’ part came from?
Keep up the good work.
MacGuyver did this a lot. My favorite one was the one where he was tied up like in The Pit and the Pendulum and he used his shoe to knock over a manikin wig to stop the water dripping that stopped the pendulum.
Hey, where does manikin come from?
Marina, I think you’re 2hotforwords! Keep the lessons coming!
Please consider investigating the word ‘vanilla’, which seems to have suffered a fascinating reversal in meaning over the years.
Where did the word , clothes, come/originated from??
Dear Marina,
Could you please find out how we’ve ended up parking in ‘driveways’ and driving on ‘parkways’? I know the origins of both have to be recent and this has always driven me crazy!
The television character was MacGyver and he was always cracking me up with whatever he found to disarm that week’s bomb.
I’m in the Navy and have found over the years that you can solve many problems at sea with some good duct tape, 440′ cord, or industrial strength Velcro, so I always have plenty of each available.
Thank you so much for making all your students’ lives brighter with every broadcast. Intelligence is truly sexy!
Carpe diem,
Frank
Dear Teacher,
This tidbit on jury rig is from the book “Patrick O’ Brian’s Navy. The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey’s World”. Your description of a jury mast is spot on, but it adds that it may originate from the French “journe’e” (my keyboard doesn’t have the proper accent mark) which stands for “day” or “for a day”. As in temporary. So journe’e may also be Jerry.
) on your right side just below the hem of the top you’re wearing.
. Purdue University’s School of Engineering run a great annual competition of design and construction of Rubes. They have to work, too.
I think the birthmark is visible on your Holiday Card (OK, so I keep the cards
The homework has been well covered but I prefer Rube Goldberg to MacGyver. The machines that perform simple tasks in wonderfully complex ways are really
Dear Marina,
First I would like to say that I love your shows. I subscribed to your podcast a few days ago and am already addicted to them. Thank you!
I would like to request a word. As I was filling out my profile, tonight actually (I just registered), I mentioned that I am a Shrink. That got me thinking how people started referring to Psychologists or Therapists as Shrinks’. If you would investigate that term, I would be thrilled, Thank you!
Your student,
Romantic101
when animals are talked of in groups, (ex. pride of lions, flock of geese, herd of cows) how are these individual names determined for the animals.
MacGyver was the TV show, my friends and I still say “Just MacGyver it”. (No wonder nothing ever works around the house)
Anyone that really knows our teacher knows her birthmark is on her thigh.
While taking a shower at a hotel my wife asked me where the term “Lukewarm” came from. Isn’t warm the same as Lukewarm? All I know is that Luke must have like his showers cold.
Can you investagate?
Once again, an interesting video.
While working at a job some years ago we had a saying, “Mickey Mouse”. This had the same meaning as Jury-Rigged. Mickey Mouse was said alot because for some reason nothing seemed to fit together as planned.
Have a great day and keep up the fun.
Dear Marina, Thank you for investigating “Jury-Rigged”. It is a rather catchy phrase, and it comes in handy to describe make-shift repairs.
Of course (mais oui?), McGiver is well known for his clever “jury-rigging” antics. (My son and I watched many episodes back in the day)
I’m still not up to speed on the term “Jerry-Built”, so I guess I’ll have to review the new video again. (…just what I need….. another reason to look for your radiant smile!)
I noticed the word “Vichama” on the screen. Is that some kind of French/Spanish mix of phrases for Victory at home?
…and “Jury-mast” ..Is that another nautical expression for a hung sail? (as in “hung-jury”) …which may have something to do with the familiar saying ” 3 sheets to the wind” ?
and..”Jerry Rigged” ? ..oh boy, I am certainly going to need some special tutoring, and hands on training in order to stay at the head of the class.
In addition to getting an “A Plus”, I sure would like to win your prize for guessing the exact location of your “BirthMark”. When will you announce the prize ?
I sure hope I can win with an educated guess!
You are truly a blessing Marina, and your teaching style is a treasure.
Your # 1 Student and secret admirer, Dave
(Tuesday 12:07 AM)
MacGiver was the show, my favorite jury rigging he did was fixing a cars split fuel line with the body of an ink pen.
Word suggestion…prey vs pray
hot teacher, I would like to know what do you know about the origin the word Arrogance
Hi there Hot for words. My friends and I would like to know where the word “tawdry” means and where it came from.
Ps. I hope you can figure out my handle.
hot4hfw
Dear Teacher,
I often play racquetball. When someone proposes an additional game to break a tie, it is called the “rubber” game. I would like you to investigate rubber in this context for me. Thanks!
Hi My teacher and I do believe you are a witch,, but I know a very beautiful and Loving White Witch,, I so enjoy all your classes,, your devoted student ,,Dave Good bye my teacher,, hugs
Dear Marina,
I think your true birthmark is your smile. However if I would guess, I would say it is in your lower back. That is a quite common place for birthmarks.
Once again I love your videos. You truly can get the message across.
Besos,
Tu Pupilo No. 1
The spontaneous inventions have come to be nicknamed MacGyverisms and even led to the verb, ‘to MacGyver’ or ‘to MacGyver-ize’. This word was used in Richard Dean Anderson’s project Stargate SG-1, in a breaking of the 4th wall moment in the first episode, when the character Samantha Carter (portrayed by Amanda Tapping) comments on the time and effort that had been required “to MacGyver” a replacement for the Stargate’s long-lost control system. Anderson’s character, Colonel Jack O’Neill, is seen to inwardly groan and roll his eyes, in the manner of one who is not being allowed to forget something.
MacGyverism is a derivative of the “robinsonade” genre, named after Robinson Crusoe (1719). In this genre, the protagonist is suddenly isolated from the comforts of civilization and must improvise the means of his survival from the limited resources at hand. MacGyverism is also an example of bricolage, and MacGyver himself is the paradigm of a bricoleur (”a person who creates things from existing materials, is creative and resourceful”). It was first used by Joanne Remmings (played by Pamela Bowen) in the second-season episode #3 “Twice Stung”, in which MacGyver must con a con man. (The episode title is a reference to The Sting, with Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Dana Elcar.)
However, one could argue that parts of the A-Team were reminiscent of “on the fly jury-rigging”, specifically when it came to the con-artistry of the lesser-vigilante con artists, Face and Mad Murdoch. Often these two were forced to come up with some interesting solutions to otherwise difficult problems in the nick of time. This same sort of jury-rigged stunts occurred in lots of television programs, such as “The Wild, Wild West”, “Star Trek” (Mr. Scott), and
“The Dukes of Hazzard”.
Personally, my own best inventions happen on a daily basis. Their nature, however, must remain a mystery.
Oh, how could I forget the inventiveness of the Magnum PI team?! As well as of course the work of Q and 007!
I found your birthmark on your upper right arm, near your armpit. It can be seen on the frame you are wearing the tank top and shorts… later on in the video. Nice lesson, oh so nicely done… as always!
Now, I’m fairly new to the site, but I can’t help but notice that there is nothing mentioned in the video about finding a birthmark. It seems the first challenge in the ‘find the birthmark’ game is figuring out what the rules are. Or maybe I’m just a noobie completely missing the point. Guess I’ll have to sit this one out.
Personally, I think it’d be a more interesting game to try to guess Marina’s birth sign, as she could use that as a format to discuss the origins of the words that make up the zodiac signs. I saw her video for ‘capricious’ the other day, and she briefly mentioned ‘capricorn’, which kind of made me think what the other origins are of the zodiac lexicon. It’d be interesting to hear what the word Zodiac means as well as what each individual sign means. I’m actually not that into astrology, but I always wondered why that particular collection of words/signs exists, and what their origin was. It’d probably take more than one video to tackle the subject, though. btw, if I had to guess Marina’s sign, I’d guess Aquarius or Pisces, since I’d imagine she’d have an aquatic sign to go with her nautical name. If I had to choose, I’d go with Aquarius, as that is the water bearer, symbolic of a bearer of knowledge like Marina. Just a shot in the dark, of course… : )
As for MacGuyver being the best jury-rigger in TV, yes, he is known to be that, but there were others known for similar skills. My answer to Marina’s question is The Professor from Gilligan’s Island. Give that man a couple of coconuts and he could build just about anything.
On a parting note, I’ve definitely been using this site as an educational tool, so I hope I did indeed subscribe correctly. I signed up for this site to comment and leave word requests, and I assume that opening an account here is the same as subscribing. Last thing I want is a philological guilt trip!
errinf.. the only other place to subscribe would be my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/hotforwords so that you are notified of my new videos when I upload them there.
Glad to have you on board!
I only thought of the birthmark game after I uploaded the video.. thought it would be fun.. only rules are where is it? It’s noticeable in the video.
well, did anyone find it yet?
Done and done, Marina. I enjoy youtube a lot (that’s where I first encountered your videos, though I don’t recall how), but I rarely use my account there at all. Your request to subscribe seems very fair, and you are quite modest with the interesting information you so freely share, and the artistic way you share it, so I subscribed post-haste. Glad to give a little something back for what I have been taught so far. Thanks!
You were also kind enough to add me as a myspace friend, so I sent you a special request via myspace that wasn’t a word request. It was word-related, but not about word origins, so I thought I’d send it seperate from your hotforwords.com website. Who knows if you even have much time to check your myspace account… I’m sure you are quite busy doing your thing here and elsewhere, and last thing I’d want to do is put a drag on that! But, still, you’re so cool that I couldn’t help but try to get your expert opinion on something slightly philological. : )
As for the birthmark game, I am more into word games, and thought that that was what the ‘find the birthmark’ game was going to entail. I did not notice any birthmark when I watched the video as I was most likely intently listening to the lesson about jerry-building and jury-rigging (which I just realized right now are probably related to the word ‘gerrymandering’ as well). I’ll just keep sitting this one out, as there seems to be plenty of other students who are getting into the find the birthmark game. Plus, I feel like I learned the jury-rigged lesson well, and there are a lot of your videos that I haven’t seen yet which I’d rather spend my limited time watching than one with a lesson I have already learned. And I honestly don’t think I can find that birthmark of yours anyway! lol Clever idea for a game, though, and it’s always good to be spontaneous.
Thanks for explaining the subscription thing, and thanks for having me aboard. You are quite kind and modest, which are excellent qualities in a teacher. Take care, Marina, and thanks for HotForWords.
I feel left out. I didn’t get my e-mail alert.
if I had to guess i would say your neck, but honestly I have no clue
bluesboy7
You know, Marina, you investigate many words, but what about the word “investigate” itself? Does it have any relation to investment or investiture?
dear HOT
the word i request is a short word, but seems to have many meanings.
the word well.
well- a watering hole ( i had to pump water from our well)
well - a description of how one feels. ( i dont feel well)
or well in question form. ( two people talking one makes an unfinished statement the other replies “well?”
there are probably more meanings for this word
i might be a little more objective, being a girl and all
it’s on your right thigh… a pale one 
> more objective, being a girl and all
lol?
MacGyver was the character on TV. The astronauts could’ve used him on Apollo XIII; he probably would’ve been able to land them on the moon and gotten them home safely also. lol.
How about the phrase “Rube Goldberg” as in a complicated or elaborate series of mechanisms?
About your birthmark, I’d have to perform an up close and personal inspection. I’m thinking it could be somewhat labor intensive but fun too.
Not to be a perve but um was it on your left breast I saw something in one frame in the end of the video when you turned towards the left or my right. I also saw one on your upper right leg in the thumbnail in the video (it appeard to be airbrushed over which is a common practice in photography) but other than that I looked at the video frame by frame and couldn’t find anything you should do another video that would take less compression for us to search for the Birth mark.
Is that it in your Right Eye? I can’t quite tell for sure.
I thought I spotted a birthmark on your left cheek/jaw..
Love you!!
Another phrase meaning a jury rig is a “lash-up” so called because, to fix a temporary spar to the stump of a broken mast, you use a “lashing”, a particular type of rope-work that will ensure that the temporary mast will not wobble about too much.
During the last war my father worked in the aircraft industry, and “lash-ups ” were used a lot to get aircraft back into the air to fight the enemy, presumably intending to do a better job when time permitted.
However, there was also the philosophy of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” which in turn led to another saying in the industry, “There’s nothing so permanent as a temporary lash-up”.
There you go! Another bit of useless information from your rusty old Morris Marina.
Bob
where did Shepards Pie begin?
Oh, about 100 yards away from the sheep
I think the birthmark is on your cheek(I think the left one, but I don’t know). Keep making videos, they’re awesome!
Angus MacGyver, who is that. i was thinking she probably meant Bob the Builder
Hello Marina,
I enjoy your educative videos and I appreciate your generosity passing on knowledge.
I ask of you if you can please define the word “COSMOPOLITAN”. I would like to know where did the word originated from and who was worthy to be called a cosmopolitan. Is it possible that there can be a cosmopolitan living today in this world, or is this a myth? Is there w