Life of Riley
Living the life of Riley! Just who is this Riley guy who lives such a great life?
Author: HotForWords
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It’s a bum’s life! My Irish mom and I were debating once if the saying was “the life of Ryan” or “the life of Riley”. But you our expert phillologist have solved that argument. “Life of Riley” and “Tis a gift to be simple; tis a gift to be free”.
I’d put most of the money in the bank and with whatever left I’d buy some gaming stuff… Yeah… I need some friends
will you be one of mine?
Kelly Harrell – my name is john johanna…this song fits…harry pease?
I wish—–
…[life] 
Names in this video suggest an Irish or Irish-American origin of the phrase.
Riley, Kennedy, Kelly, and Rooney are all Irish names; Harry Pease was noted for writing “Irish-American” songs (Peggy O’Neil being well-known.)
If I were living with you Marina, I would be living the life of Riley!
My life of Riley …. involves buying lots of stuff , traveling around the world , and building a spaceship to Mars . Lots of development space there .
Oh yeah , before i do all those , i will go find Marina and take a picture with her . First priority with pretty ladies
I know a 12-year-old girl who wants to lead the Life of Miley.
So now that you’re famous, are you having headaches?
My “life of Riley” would include trophy women and trips to exotic destinations, such as Borneo or the Seychelles.
Greetings, all. In my homework from the “Repair” lesson, I asked a question about the roots of a phrase, and I repeatedly got biblical answers.
Marina, when investigating words, how much do you consider including or excluding biblical sources, or do you just skip words that end up having sources in religious work? I am just curious.
Thanks, and I really love your brain, your work, your looks, and the show. Please keep it up!
I would find out where you live and sweep you off your feet so we could both live the life of REILLY (not Riley)!!!!
That would be great!!!!!! Joe Reilly
If I struck it rich (if only!)…
Buy a house – with the credit crunch in full swing, I wouldn’t need a mortgage.
Buy a replacement car – mine’s a little old and creaky.
Donate some to family – obviously!
Donate some to charity – show I have a philanthropic side.
Put the rest in a high-interest bank account
(I haven’t had a chance to read all the comments below) Did you know that there was a “sit com” in the 1950s in the US entitled, “The Life of Riley”? It starred William Bexdix as I recall… a rotund fellow who played a bit of a loveable buffoon (not unlike Jim Belucci’s character today). I remember that my mother would not allow us to watch it because it cast the father of the family in such a light…
so we had to sneak a peek. 
I recall that it was a funny show.
master_john2005 my favorite nipple model
“Model”…
… Naaa…. “Aficionado” perhaps! 
my mistake
Living the “Life of Riley”, to most people is simply living in a dream world. OMG we are in the Matrix…..
trinity
Let’s see, if I struck it rich, I would help family members, once. Then I would see how conspicuous consumption feels.
Please, ou please can you investigate the origin of the word “Deify”
, HUGE thanks in advance 
Why do they call cloudberry CLOUDberry? I have always wondered that, PLEASE, do me do my word
/Huggawood from Sweden
aaaaaaaaaaahaha i’m like addicted to those
In finland we call them lakka in swedish it’s something like hjorton or something right?
..i duno wy they’re called cloudberry, maybe becaude of the shape..
Do you have a lot of them im sweden?
yeah in the northen part we got alot of them, at marshlands. and yes we call them hjotron
cloudberryjam on waffles *argh* ;P
Hi! I love your videos, their very original and intelligent.
Catarina.
I wonder if it wouldn’t be any problem if you search the meaning of my name
I’m portuguese so it isn’t a name that is regular for you to ear.
But I would be very happy if you do that,
Thank you and congrast for your website.
pure.
Question, If a ray of light was traveling through the void and no one was there to hear it , when would it make any noise? answer when it struck a molecule of water.
I suppose the noise it would make would be a rainbow? Or maybe a Peacock’s tail?
No in this case it would be a Peter Sellers.
Did you miss your clonazepam today?
Go Check male versus female again
It certainly is a strange love you are purveying, but stop worrying – even though your rantings are bombing, you’ve got to love them.
Hey bob did you know Sunlight he had a little brother his name was evaporation. I am not ranting your just in denial.
The “sound” of one hand clapping?
that question reminds me of the age old question, “if a tree falls down and noone is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
I usually just say “Yeah, it sure does, you just won’t hear it because you’re too far away”
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school_dean_hot4.u says: 72.5.1
Did you know the tree fell if you didn’t see it?
Wrong, Marina! Riley is a generic shiftless Irishman. Living “the life of Riley” means drinking whiskey on the porch while your shack falls down around you.”Riley” has no ambition but to sit comfortably. He has no cares, so that is maybe why the phrase has come to mean a life of plenty. I know whereof I speak; my English grandmother used to point out which farms in the neighborhood were run by Irish, and how they were not kept up properly. She married an Irishman, tho
cherrybomb, there is no written example of the expression “Life of Riley” prior to the 1918 song I mentioned. So.. even though people may have used the expression… there really is no evidence showing where it came from exactly. So perhaps your grandmother is the missing link
Hee hee, you just called his grandma the missing link. Take that monkey boy!
That does ring true I remember when the phase was ” life of O’Riley ”
But my memory is not all that great but there is some credence to his post.
The Irish where treated like the ” Blacks ” and all other minority’s . :eschewed:
what is breastmilk? and what do they give it to? and is it good for someone? and Is it part of woman’s tits?
This is a good book on the subject Educational too
So many questions – goodness!
and all centered around babies!
When did your series come online
and who is your programmer?
I wonder why your questions sound suspicious to me? You know the word tits and milk, but don’t know breastmilk? Very odd.
Or your just trying to play us. 
Words Request: Pumapard
puma+leopard=pumapard
What is the word milky means?
something that shows similarities to milk…..?
I’ve never actually heard that saying heh.
But, first I’d buy a 1967 Shelby Cobra GT500. Then, I’d get a new computer that was like 100 times better than anything I could normally afford. Probably a Macintosh, and I’d “dual-boot” Windows XP (not Vista) on it for those rare programs that don’t run on a Mac now.
Marina,
I would to know what is the origin of “XOXO” meaning hugs and kisses often signed at the end of cards and letters.
-Friend XOXO
The word blitzkrieg comes from the german words blitz(lightning) and krieg(war), so blitzkrieg in German means a very fast war
It’s generally frowned upon for us to give word origins, as it takes away from Marina’s reason to make more videos.
Gracias
Mountain Lions native of the americas
Any Pink Panthers there too?
Peter Sellers Women on birth control
Marina I want to ask you, where comes the word “blitzkrieg”? and the exprecion “dog fight” or “dog fighter”?, I know that exprecion is uses in the air combat
I’m from Argentina, south america, my english, to write is not very good, but I can understand.
I hope you can answer me, plis Marina.
Why I can’t have a english teacher beautiful like you.
Bye
blitz krieg is German for lightning war
(krieg der stern means Star War)
Snoopy vs The Red Baron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNremK0cBEg&feature=related
I stil have two words that haven’t been investigated already:
Contingency
and
Naughty
(guess it is time to clarify this word by our naughty teacher!)
Cheers,
Gelyon
What is the origin of the word “boycott”?
AND girlcott, don’t be such a sexist.
Funny you should mention this. Josh Riley is one of the characters in my latest novel, The Shaman and the Rose. I’m awaiting a call back from a Hollywood director on the novel. So you might say The life of Riley might finally get me where i’ve always wanted to go.
bill
I went to your web site. I have never heard anyone assert that the devil and Satin are two different people. The bible very clearly states that they are one and the same. The names mean Opposer and Slanderer. Oh well it doesn’t really matter for your book.
Really? I never heard anyone assert they are one and the same myself. God, Jesus, and The Holy Ghost most say are the same, but not Satan. Satan was Lucifer, the Morning Star. He sat at God’s left hand. But then he betrayed God, and was cast out. Read The Book of Job, it in no way says God and Satan are the same, they are making bets that Satan can’t get Job to turn away from God. So, if they ARE the same person, then God is insane and is making bets with his other personality. Somehow I don’t think that’s the case.
OH DEVIL and SATAN roflmao oh man I am tired rofl.
Just ignore me today LOL I’m on drugs or something. Can’t read. LOL. And, actually… there is one book that says that Lucifier, Beezulbub, Mephisto, and all them are different, but it’s fiction. Piers Anthony’s “For Love of Evil”
You didn’t I got you and Tayjim mixed up for some reason. I looked up and seen hat so I thought it was you.
It must be a prerequisite for philologist from Russia
.
Yeah raga: drink some coffee first then comment.
I use to read all Piers Anthony’s books, but not that one. I started off with ‘juxtaposition’.
I think there is a pretty argument that Jesus, the Father and the Holy Ghost are not the same, but we probably shouldn’t get into that here.
Well Geronimo I have always been taught that God was the supreme being and Jesus was his son. You received the Holy Ghost by being caught up in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ by believing in him that he died on the cross for our sins. Only through Jesus did you go to the Father=God. This thread is for this discussion only. If someone doesn’t want to participate then let them not comment here. I do not mean any harm by my last statement, but this thread is as good as any. We are not trying to change or preach to anyone only bring up facts that we think are relevant.
There is a supposition being debated by divinity students and theologians that the “devil” who tempted Jesus was one of the fallen angels and that Satan wasn’t ever an angel but a being cast from Paradise by the angel, Michael. According to this hypothesis, it was Satan who caused some angels to be expelled from heaven for refusing to recant Satan’s evil ways. This information was what I based my novel on.
What was Satan’s downfall (sin)… why was he cast out of God’s presence? ” How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations! ” From the book of Isaiah.
Interesting questions,(to me) with real scripture answers. Satan & demons being active & with seats of authority in the world system, are ultimately defeated.
Jude 6 ” And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, ”
is very mysterious & I don’t know, who could these angelic beings have been… possibly these guys “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” From the book of the Genesis.
We are warned to be very careful & don’t treat foolishly this subject…Jude 1:9
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Jude 1:8-10 (in Context)
Capman no need to sound apologetic in your post, makes you sound like a Canadian… I’m sorry
I have been on a backpacking trip for the last 4 days so this response is kinda late. I can’t believe that there is even any debate as to Satan the Devil. Rev. 20:2 removes all question and plainly states that they are one and the same. As for the Nephilim, I always understood them to be the offspring of materialized angels who had forsaken their natural position in heaven and had relations with human women. I see that that one sentence “and also afterward” could cast some doubt on this assertion. Either way this account shows that there were many angels who decided that they wanted what Satan wanted and followed him in his rebellion.
Dear Geronimo,
Satan and the devil as seperate entities was just a debate among divinity students and teachers that I read online. I took that idea one step further by asserting that the “devil” was one of the fallen angels who followed Satan in the great war in heaven. My book pits the devil against Satan as this fallen angel seeks his redemption in the eyes of God. It’s a fantasy adventure with a moral, that even someone tainted by pure evil can reclaim their faith if they truly repent. It was never my intent to offend anyone’s beliefs.
bill
Billy I am not offended. I don’t have a problem at all with someone making a fantasy book, I just have a problem with such debates because it just adds to further convolute the truth. The only reason I originally commented was because I was under the impression that YOU believed that Satan and the Devil were two different beings. Your story is certainly an interesting concept and sounds like a good read.
hey hotforwords. i really love ur vids, i learn so much from them all especially the one on antidisestablishmentarianism. i just wanted to know where the word masturbation came from and how it ended up meaning wat it means.
Thanx!
Here is the where you will find the tru meaning of masturbation, http://www.hotforwords.com/2007/08/17/female-vs-male/…….thankx is properly spelled thanks.
tru=true
She’s being kind of tricky http://www.hotforwords.com/2007/08/17/female-vs-male/
F..k, please!
Marina, do you agree it comes from the ancient or is it primitive or traditional England where a person could not have sex unless he or she had consent of the king in those days (unless that person was in the Royal Family). It is said that when anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the King, the King gave them a placard they hung on their door while they were having sex. The pacard had F.U.C.K (Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it.
Would you agree with this version?
(You and I have much in common – Russian, philologist, 27 year-old, blonde, love words and wordplay. It’s a great idea to create such a website – accept my compliments. Cheers!)
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=26UA578yQ5g
I had heard that it came from the Puritans ( hard to believe ) who would put that sign on the pillory for those found guilty of adultery as an abbreviation of “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”.
There are also claims that the roots are from the Latin “fucere” (sp?) meaning to screw; and a similar German word I won’t even try to spell meaning to plow.
Personnally, I enjoy the idea that the word generally accepted as the most foul came from the Puritans.
Hi Interpretty, Welcome to Marina’s Hot For Words site. I think she did that word on a Maxim Radio show, but I couldn’t find it for you. But one of her students here named James has done the entomology of the word. This is the site to watch for it. I hope your not offended by the use of the whole word in the videos that have been supplied for you from Geronimo and myself. If that is you on your site you have a very impressive resume. Very pretty too like you site name.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVthSNUBre4
Mike
Mike when did I present a video with the whole word? Yes she is very pretty. Is that a prerequisite to be philologist in Russia?
Greetings Interpretty, I too would like to welcome you to HFW site. I hope you find Marina’s site interesting.
Im glad you stopped by and I hope you stick around.
At first I almost misinterpreted your request for “F..k, please!” I thought you where asking for something else. LOL. As you can see we joke around here a bit here.
I see from your website that your are a little bit of a philologist (Ok maybe a philology expert)
About your word request, The link that Capman gave you of James video of the word F#©|< should answer you questions. It think the word will remain forever in mystery. Too bad, for that word is so commonly used.
Captain Jack
hi,
i have a question regarding foreign words in russian. buzzword linked to a great site, here’s a picture from that site. now, it says “джекпот” there, i was wondering for how long words like that have been around in russia. it’s kinda hard to tell if they’ve been around a long time or if they entered russian after, say, 1990. also “бизнес” and the like (not sure about the spelling).
uh, so my question is if they started to just put foreign words into cyrillic just recently. those terms seem to center on business-related or technical matters, which would explain it, i guess. most anglicisms we got over here (i.e. germany) are from that field, of course.
thank you.
I thought of the best word, miss.
Persnickety. My new school librarian is so persnickety, and some kiss-arses at my work are massively persnickety. The word sounds so bizarre though and I knew I had to come to you.
Persnickety: Giving too much attention to small unimportant details in a way that annoys other people.
Hey fellas,
I was stoked when I received the email notification about the ‘Life of Riley’ video, mainly because Riley is my sister’s name
I feel honoured now that I noticed that my name was amongst the requested
Thank you for making this video Marina, you’re awesome 
Bit ‘O’ Trivia: There is also a “Life of Riley” lyric in a song called “Farewell to the Crown” by the band Chumbawumba. I used to own the cd years ago
6 stars for the video
Congrats kaibanator, you have two thumbs up one for being mentioned and one for your sister’s name in there also.
Thanks Capman911, a congratz is in order for you as well
Aw, now quit pattin’ each other on the back, you both know you’re great anyway. Nice work! Keep it up, guys.
Chumbawumba? I love that song!
tubthumpin’ w/ lyrics
http://www.hotforwords.com/2008/08/13/life-of-riley/?wpc=all#comment-49961
Now that we are in full swing with the Presidential elections, I would love to know the origin of the word “shenanigan” or to “declare shenanigans”. Thanks!
Marina,
We joked about Julia Child a little while ago.
Check this out:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/spies.revealed.ap/index.html
Looks like she was cooking Moose and Squirel with Boris and Natasha for real.
And nobody knew.
She held her sauce well.
Give back the link? Mexican food and fry some life into your money.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=mcLA596zUwc
Hello Marina,
I remember reading somewhere that O’Reilly was a large land owning family that minted their own money sometime around 1500-1600 in Ireland. They were most likely the most influencial people at that time in the area so maybe that’s where the origin started even though it wasn’t documented.
The lack of money is the root of all evil. Mark Twain
Thank you
But, be careful what you wish for; you might get it!
“Tis easy to resign a toilsome place,
But not to manage liesure with grace,
Abscence of occupation is not rest,
A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed.
William Cowper
To be able to fill leisure intelllgently is the last product of civilization.
Bertrand Russell
Can you tell that I’m dusting off my reference books?
Don’t tell fish stories where the people
know you; but particularly, don’t tell them
where they know the fish. – Mark Twain
Marina, as an etymologist you investigates the history, development, and origin of words. I would think this also gives you the ability to make an educated guess on the future evolution of our language.
Do you believe, (god forbid) that computer/text message terms like “ur”, “coz”, “kewl” and other similar bastardisations of the english language, could eventually replace the words they represent?
words are not represented. words represent.
Hence my use of the word “represent”
your so called “bastardisations” are words, too. words represent entities. a word is a representation of something. like “2″ represents the notion of the abstract entity, the idea of “2″ we have in mind.
nothing represents a word. and one word can’t represent another one.
I have to disagree with you there. It is possible for letters or symbols to represent a word. For example, the word “you too” an be represented by the symbol “u2.” That doesn’t mean that “u2″ is a word. It might be. But, it doesn’t have to be. Not all symbols used in communication are words.
beg to differ.
it’s just another sign for the entity that you’re directing your speech to. it’s like saying that “книга” is a representation of “book”.
we’re talking about linguistic signs (cf. de saussure on this one).
and, again: consider spoken language.
Not every symbol representing meaning is a word. For example, the “x” or a “dot” in a mathematical expression mean things, but they aren’t words. Also, abbreviations are not words. They are representations of words. The “ampersand” is a symbol conveying meaning, but it isn’t a word.
To use your language, yes, it is “just another sign for the entity that you’re directing your speech to.” I’ll agree with that. However, not every “sign” is a word.
And, the original post involved written language (text page shorthand).
never said that.
never said that.
i was talking about linguistic signs, not about mathematical expressions.
Yes, but bastion was talking about words not “signs.” You referred to the bastardizations mentioned by bastion as “just another sign…” – yes, all words are signs, but not all signs are words. Bastion pointed out that “coz” (for example) was a bastardization of the word “because” (which it is) and that it “represented” the word “because.”
You disagreed – stated that “coz” was a word like any other (or that’s what I got from your post), and that it couldn’t represent another word. I disagreed with that statement, since clearly “coz” does represent “because” in text lingo, just like “w” represents “with” and “wo” represents “without.” They aren’t themselves words, they are symbols for or abbreviations of words.
And above you “begged to differ” with my post where I said that not all symbols used in communication are words.
So, I am now confused as to what you’re agreeing with or disagreeing with relative to this matter. If you’ve changed the discussion to whether “coz” or other text message symbols are “linguistic signs”, then o.k. – sure, they’re linguistic signs. But, not every “sign” is a word and you appear to agree with that. Bastion was referring to words.
have you considered the origins of the alphabet? is the letter, “a” a bastardization of a symbol of an ox. every word you used is the bastardization of another. this eugenic approach to grammar is an arrogant attempt to create an ideal or perfect grammar. it is ridiculous. those bastardizations as you called them are just as valid as any other word. cultures may distinguish between appropriate settings for their use, but this is culturally relative. any word is acceptable as long as it functions as a means of communication.
In these discussions, I think sometimes people have ended up arguing past each other.
I don’t think the bastion said they were “invalid” or “unacceptable.” What he called them were “bastardizations,” which would mean that the shorthand text lingo is, in his opinion, a debasement of the English language. My guess is that he sees the reduction in the importance of spelling and standard structure as a debasement.
That doesn’t mean debased usages are “invalid” and “unacceptable.” The word “ain’t” is often viewed as debased or incorrect English – however, its validity or acceptability depend on context. Are we writing a business letter? Or are we writing a country song, or speaking informally?
In text messaging many incorrect English usages, and debased forms are plenty valid and acceptable. I text a lot, for example, and have become quite skilled at packing a lot of information into those precious 160 available characters. I’ll use “bc” for because, and “wtf” for “what the f$#k” and “w” for “with,” etc. Does that mean that “w” is equivalent to using the word “with” in other contexts? Of course not.
What he’s asking Marina is if she thinks that these new usages that are becoming more common, like “coz” for “because,” will become standard usage in general. It’s a good question.
Prospero I am always amazed at the clarity of your thought and your ability to make such solid arguments. I wish I could do that. I don’t seem able to put down in words what I am thinking in such an argument because as I am typing, more ideas come to mind, and I start mixing them in before I finished the original idea. It usually makes a jumbled mess. Even when I get it right, I obviously don’t think as deep as you do either. Always glad to see your comments.
Thank you, geronimo. Your ability to recognize genius when you see it is uncanny.
prospero, the dude said, “god forbid” i think that is kinda like saying unacceptable. i would argue that these are not examples of a “reduction in the importance of spelling”. you stated yourself that you use text messaging and you are aware of the rules and follow them. they guide your selection of spellings.
if some of these words come into vernacular usage so be it. what harm can possible come since this is basically how written language has been developing anyway. have you ever heard anyone pronounce asap as a word? it means quickly it also means as soon as possible. how about the word stat, abbreviation for the latin word statim meaning immediately.
however i do believe that the majority of these words will be limited to casual use and to these particular contexts, text messaging etc… by the way here is a link you ass pain.
word tech and language.
Yeah – I use text messaging but I did not say that I was “aware of the rules” – there aren’t many rules. You do whatever it takes to get the message across in the least number of characters.
It’s not a question of “harm” – and nobody has ever said that language doesn’t change over time. Some new words are always entering and leaving common and standard usages.
I don’t even get what you’re arguing. You apparently don’t disagree with what I said.
okay, i’ll try and make a clear statement. the poster implied that the words used in such communications as txt messaging are not appropriate enough to be included in the standard english vocabulary. i stated originally that as in the example of the letter “a” it is not unusual for a symbol or abbreviation to become included into the standard english vocabulary. and that their inclusion sets a precedent for the inclusion of other symbols and abbreviations. i add that many of the words used in txt messaging will not by popularity become included into the standard english vocabulary.
as a side note, you are one of the few people on this site that i enjoy discussing these types of issues with. admittedly you cause me great aggravation at times (piss me off). it is nonetheless correspondence that has provided a great deal of thought. stick around you bastard.
Well, I think we both agree on what you just said. New words are created all the time. However, in your initial response to bastion, you claimed, basically, that “any word as long as it functions as a means of communication,” implying that all this “ur” and “coz” terms are “words.”
They aren’t English words. They’re shorthand terms for English words, which was my whole point. Sometimes those things develop into words, when they become pervasive enough.
Bastion was saying that he doesn’t like them getting into standard English usage. I can tell you that I share his opinion. When I’m at work, I don’t want to get emails from professionals saying – “o.k. – I like ur idea coz it solves our problemz.”
There is effective communication under the circumstances, and there is standard English. Both have a place.
p11, you blasmolic noud!
what if some dude only knows “coz”, not “because”? would you still say that he’s not using a word?
No, I’d say he’s using a word incorrectly. Lot’s of people have no idea they are speaking incorrect or nonstandard English.
In my opinion, “coz” is a shorthand term for the word “because.” It may be growing, or already have grown, to become a slang or informal word synonymous with “because.” I don’t think it’s there yet. I think it’s still generally considered to be just a shorthand term for because – more like an abbreviation.
What if someone only knows “&%)” and not “because?” Would you still say that he is using a word?
Oh, and buzzword, calling me a pain and a bastard are terms of endearment.
Just face it, buzz, I’m right….about everything….all the time….
a short hand term is still a word. just because somebody else may uses different symbols for a word doesn’t mean its not a word. how are those symbols any different than the symbols in the alphabet?
my son uses the word, “gaboomba” he uses specifically to describe someone being silly, “he is a gaboomba”. our family knows how to use this word, the whole extended family knows how to use this word, he tells me gaboomba begins with the letter “g”. now why in the hell isn’t this a word? it fulfills all the requirements of a word.
This is complicating my existenz.
What’s with theses guys??
Sounded like a yes or no question!
Ummmm….no? LOL
I’ve always been fascinated with how we have preserved the names of the Norse gods in our days of the week. Maybe even more interesting is the fact that these are the “corresponding” gods to the Roman gods that survive in the “Romance” languages… which in turn appear to be associated with the Babylonian understanding of the nearest “heavenly bodies”…i.e., in French; Lundi and Mardi etc. This might take a bit too long to develop in a short segment… but I thought that folks might be interested.
Well for my home work, I would have a house in the woods with lots of land around me so I wouldn’t be disturbed by the any one. And maybe one on a sandy beach of an tropical island so my girl and I can realax in the sun and swim in the ocean. Both places would be self reliant for power and maybe water.
Coincidentally, the quote of the day from my namesake, Bob Proctor, tells how to live the Life of Riley:-
“The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is
that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it put
your whole soul into it – every bit of energy and ambition and natural
ability you have.”
- John D. Rockefeller
1839-1937, Industrialist and Philanthropist
Riley? As in Pat Riley. Why he was the basketball coach of the Lakers,Knicks and the heat?
Dear Marina,
Why do we use the word “up” so often where it doesn’t seem to make sense?
We “look things up”, “fold things up”, “size things up”, do something “up front”, “match things up”, “mess things up” –
It seems like things are always “up” and never “down”.
For the sake of my sanity, please investigate!
Your loyal student,
Chat2ian
Get on down, down on the farm, down south.
When you’re down, the only way is up.
Interesting question … Do they still say, “Down South” and “Up North” in the southern hemisphere? If so, then it’s referring to the way a map is used , and not to the value of Latitude.
We still do Bob, we even say going down town or going up town. Why I don’t know unless it’s something carried over from our parents and grandparents generation of slang terms.
You can look down on someone ( but its not nice ) you could ( try to ) stare down a cat. You could get down off a horse ( but its easier to get down off a duck
; sorry ). If you want the truth you can get the low down.
Thx orion_ss1, but I still think that “staring down” or “looking down” make sense, because it implies that you are higher than the other person. You are right about the “low down” though, why not the “high up”?
Dear Marina,
After watching my Taiwanese singers’ music videos. I found the abbreviation ft.
Do you know what the ft stands for.
u watch taiwanese singers? have u heard of The Beast?
Dear, Marina id like too know what the origins of these words are.
Gotham/Gothic, Cataclysms, Frequancy, Diversity, spearectual.
Hey, I love your show. I would like to know more about the word SEX.
As in sextuplets?
Yur hilarious, Marina.
Homework:if I was leading the life of the Riley I knew I’d be deceased soon after because he’s very old.
jk, everyone if I was living the life of Riley I’d buy everyone of my family members something that helped them and I’d do the same for my wife that I’ll have in the future.
Will lead the life of Shawn Norris, hopefully not Riley,
Shawn Norris
Why? because I don’t wanna be somebody that I’m not. There you go!
Another mystery that you didn’t need to figure out from Shawn Norris! Please subscribe – mwahhh
Marina, again you missed out on American cultural idioms by not growing up here. The Life Of Riley was a radio show in the 1940’s and later a TV show first starring Jackie Gleason and later William Bendix in the title role. That’s when the phrase really caught on and became part of American cultural jargon. Wiki went even further and traces it to poems by James W. Riley. Sorry teach, but I don’t think you did your homework well enough on this one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_Riley
“…The expression was popular in the 1880s, a time when James Whitcomb Riley’s poems depicted the comforts of a prosperous home life [1], but it could have an Irish origin:”
Wealth can be a blessing and a curse. Some of the unhappiest people I know have the most money.
sniperskaya.. wikipedia is written by anybody… so you are telling me that someone wrote that the phrase “Life of Riley” didn’t catch on until this TV show in the 40s.. then it goes on to say it was popular in the 1880s.. so right there is some contradiction. The title of the TV show was picked as the phrase was already popular at the time.
And there are no written examples of the phrase “Life of Riley” until the example that I gave… so I believe that my story is accurate.. but of course you can never be 100% sure of these things!
Thanks for the feedback
Miss Marina,
I watched your ‘Rule of Thumb’ lesson. I have to say I was suprised to find what I thought to be tru is really false. Even though I thout it wierd that they would have a law stating that you could beat your wife. Kind of disturbing if you think about it huh?
I have told two people at work the real story on the ‘Rule of Thumb’ and they said that it made more sense than being alowed to hit a woman.
Thank you for sharing yor wisdom. Again I must say keep up the excellent work.
Hey marina great lesson, if i could live the life of riley, i would live it in a mansion! with a lot of cars and an indoor basketball court. Also with very FINE women!
Marina, it’s my fault for not putting the information in chronological order. Riley’s stories and poetry came first in the late 1800’s and the early part of the 20th century. He was also responsible for several other American cultural icons like Little Orphan Annie and Goblins. His poem “The Raggedy Man” was the inspiration for Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy. He is still remembered and honored by his fellow Hoosiers to this day.
(Unfortunately by not growing up here you also missed out on Little Orphan Annie, Lil Abner and Dick Tracy in the Sunday funnies.)
Riley’s poems were probably the initial impetus for the saying which was then spread through the military and caught on with much greater cultural acceptance when it became a radio and then a TV show. I believe it was due to the mass media exposure that the saying passed into the greater American lexicon of slang and idioms. There are a number of the old Life OF Riley TV shows on YouTube if you’re interested. They featured Sterling Holloway as a bit player in the series. Holloway later became the voice for Winnie The Pooh in the Disney cartoons.
Have you ever considered that the videos you are making today will be around long after you are gone? After all, you and your HFW site are becoming a part of American cultural history and somewhat iconic. How do you feel about the fact that some day your grandchildren may look at your videos and say “Oh My God! Was THAT our GRANDMA?!?!
hiii
could you go in detail about the word : AMBROSIA
i know it means food of and for the gods
but im sure there are details and other origins to it
AMBROSIA is greek and means “drink of immortality”.
The root is AMBROTOS from *AN-MORTOS “un-deadly”.
I’m old enough to recall a TV show called “The Life of Riley”, starring William Bendix. Sure enough, when I googled “TV, the Life of Riley” I found plenty of info on the show. Here’s a good ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_Riley
Good vid, Marina, as always. I’m amazed by your prolific output. You must either constantly work, or are incredibly efficient with your technology.
Whichever (or both), you are always a pleasure. Thanks for all you do.
No really if I was so well off that I could do ANYTHING I wanted I would still work. Travel more (ofcorse) get a newER car than a 1987 VW Fox. and pay my parents house off.
NOT MUCH
marina in your video at 0.54 is that your sister or Natasha where is Boris
ive always wondered where cheesy and corny came from
that would be great if u found the origin of that word!
Hello Marina!
I was wondering if you would explain the origin of the word “Stereotype”, I’d really be interested to hear what you have to say about it.
Thanks and I love your videos!
-seadoo14
id like to know the origin word of culdesac plz
CUL DE SAC is French and means litteraly ARSE OF SACK = BOTTOM OF THE SACK = DEAD END = NO EXIT
And yet the Cul=Bottom is where the exit is … ce n’est pas logique!
C’est la vie!
In French, cul-de-sac is hyphenated. I used to live in a cul-de-sac many years ago. But I found the sortie, and now I live somewhere else.
Hey marina, how about the origin and maning of LEAGUE? Like someone is in League with the enemy, as opposed to League meaning a unit of distance? Or even a Softball League?
Not to mention The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers >>>>> 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
good video marina 5*
the life of Riley what would i do i don’t know it would take some time to set in all at once you had all the money that you needed 
go out and have some fun cant take it with you when your gone but i want enough to get there on and i ain’t never growing old i keep on Rollin with the flow no money i got the blues
How can you say “another mystery solved” when we still don’t know who Riley is?
WIki says
The Flotsam Family was reworked with Bendix cast as blundering Chester A. Riley, a wing riveter at the fictional Cunningham Aircraft plant in California. His frequent exclamation of indignation became one of the most famous catch phrases of the 1940s
Not the point you were making
but it is interesting.
I remember that show!
“What a revolting development this is” is the phrase I believe.
I am having problems with the blockquote syntax. It turns out with a smaller box inside of a bigger box and the text is in the bigger box. What am I doing wrong?
http://www.hotforwords.com/html-in-comments/#comment-49773
Did you leave out the “/” in the last blockquote bit.
yes I did, thanks
Miss M. when you speak to or call Kobe do you use English or Russian? Or are you teaching him both.
If I struck it rich?? Wow, I would just buy a bunch of land up in the mountains of southern Utah, cauz I think they are the best. Build a sweet cabin and deck it out so I never had to come down agin, if i didn’t want to.
Love
The Dragon
P.S. I would still like to know the origin of the word Dragon.
I somehow knew that saying came out of The Great War and always wondered if it was referencing Sidney Reilly (Russian- or Ukrainian-born adventurer, Ace of Spies, model for James Bond). Although that wouldn’t connote a life of leisure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Reilly
The BEST way to get to live the Life of Riley is to work your butt off while you can and save for the future. In the process you may find a way to live a happy life while BUYING less, enjoying what you have, and that makes the goal just a little bit easier.
Goals should be realistic. I found I could have ANYTHING I wanted, just not EVERYTHING I wanted.
A good first step would be if your employer offers a 401k and you are not yet putting in enough to get the max matching money, MAKE IT HAPPEN.
You are right Orion. Any retirement program you can contribute to will be beneficial to the person and his family when they retire. Don’t just depend on SS when you get older you may not draw that much or any if it is still in place by the time some retire.
I didn’t mention Social Security because I assume that by the time I’me eligible to draw it the cupboard will be bare. If anyone other than the government was trying to sell SS they’d be arrested for a Ponsi scheme.
Amen on you response.
Social Security;
When initially signed into law by President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1935, Was a feel good measure to have the Government help the poor. And now Health care via the Government is next.
Damn history full steam ahead
Capman911 and roadrunrnch: Thank you for the support.
Health Care is a sore subject for me. When I enlisted in the Navy I was promised free Medical and Dental care for life if I completed a 20 year career. I did, and now I am asked ( told ) to contribute towards that care. At the same time many who have not completed a 20 year career ARE being given free Health Care AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE, including many illegals ( I’m sorry, UNDOCUMENTED immigrants ).
Call me petty, but there is a principle involved.
Message for Kobe.
Grrrr, Grrrr. Ruff, Ruff.
Hah Hah Hah, Thump, Thump, Thump
Thip, Thip, Thip.
Stop Peeing Everywhere.
Grrr,rrrr,rrrr Wooof.
Sniff, Sniff, Sniff.
Thats an easy fix.
Kobe belongs to a Russian lady so the dog speaks Russian. So you have to say guff guff guff
Just what I was going to say! Damn, we think alike, Mike.
Homework: I don’t know the song your referring to. But I have a 5 year plan to be living the life of Riley for the rest of my years. No lottery need. I’ve only played lottery twice in my entire life. I think its a stupid game.
In about 2-3 years I’ll buy a large 54ft sailing yacht (how big is that? Well it sleeps 6 and has two bathrooms) and outfit it to sail around the world. Year 3-4 have about 50-100 grand in the cruising kitty and and just go sailing to some far away ports. Im kind of in the mood to explore the planet at a slower pace this time. I’ve been around this blue marble twice already, I think a 3rd time is a charm for sure. I want to enjoy fruits of this world before I get to old to do it. Fiji islands sounds kind of nice. The only kink in my whole plan is finding the right lady to share the whole experience with. I keep attracting gold diggers. But if I must I will sail alone. I won’t be completely alone. I have a good friend with a sailing yacht that will fly wing-man so if there is any trouble he can assist. Its best to have some sort of buddy system with other yachters.
That my 5 year plan. I’ll be sipping margaritas and getting skin cancer!
P.S. Oh I still plan to teach. Im not giving that up. It will become mostly web based and special appearances at boat shows.
that sounds like a good plan i wish you the best stay away frome Indonesia i have been Reading a book the pirates over there are bad good luck captain jack
danielpool52, Pirates are not a problem with small sailboats. They go after container ships because they usually carry a lot of cash on board. There are Google maps that track reports of piracy. Check out my friend Captain John Konrad site. He has many links the cover the subject.
http://gcaptain.com/maritime/blog/tag/piracy/
Since piracy has been on the up rising in the past years there is now more efforts being taken to suppress it. Many Navy ships are now making patrols in those waters where there is activity. In some places it has almost been extinguished. Im well versed in handling this issue with piracy. Use of guns are not permitted because customs agents will ceases them. There are many other method that work just fine. I expect in the next 5 years the problem will fade.
A couple of AK47s will help with the pirates
Let me know if you need some.
I was wondering if you could research the origin of the word Trunks, as in swimming Trunks.
Hey thats a good one. I have many of them. I mostly use them for hot tubbing. My favorite water sport!
Capt J
If your using trunks your not doing right.
Marina
As for your puppy the use of a pet carrier to help
train Kobe not to use you home as his toilet.Happy Dog and Owner You like to visit new web sites .
I have seen this work and the dog is very happy. And the Girls house smells so much better.
pieces
Marina
Your advertiser NexTag has another solution
I would most deffinately buy a giant island in the Pacific,outfit it to be safe,comfortable,interesting,and to work with whatever the natural state of said island should be. I could prolly have all that accomplished about 10 seconds before I keeled over,,,dead.
Oh,don’t forget,I would import/export(for lack of a better PC term)a constant stream of sweet gals to help with everything. I’m old but I ain’t dead yet.
tryant
hey i was jus wondering can u research the word shih tzu……… like the dog cuz i have two nd i want to know how they got it ot sounds weird thanx! (
Walk around the worlds unfortunates and recite some words akin to: “Oh look, you dropped a $20″
Cool!
Hope you bring enough for everyone
Woodstock? LOL
If I won the lotto (Ha! if I even PLAYED the lotto!) or otherwise had everything I needed I think I’d probably settle back and start paintings of all the photos I’ve taken with the intention of painting them someday. I would also try to secure a stockpile of necessities against the uncertainties of the future, create an underground/ aboveground living environment for times of adverse temperatures in the seasonal climate, set up an outdoor recreation area tailored to my specific tastes, and try to remain occupied so I don’t die of boredom.
South Ossetia is trying to remain occupied so it doesn’t die of boredom.
Hello my dear teacher Marina
i have a few words ‘algorithm’ Russians already know this (they even have stamps in recognition of this) but i want others to know this 
P.S you look tired in your latest vid- i hope youre not up all night marking homework 
another word ‘albeit’ I had a few other words but ill leave them for another time
&oops i forgot (oops-theres a word). if i had the money to live the life of riley, i would put the money to good use, like helping others less fortunate than myself.
That is a very good thought, don’t let lack of money stop you from helping.
There are lot of ways to help people for free. Just your time.
Time is your wealth so spend your time to make other people happy-er
thanks for the comment.. i already do
Then you are already RICH
Just an idea for you. Setting up funding for a food coop, doing it yourself, ensures the money isn’t siphoned off by predators. It makes sense that a church will help in this endeavor, as they know how to get the word out to people in need. A lot of folks are hurting over the economics of oil company profiteering. Rough on young families…
I was wondering where the phrase “the jig is up” originated from. I hear it all the time…..and by the way, I really enjoy my subscription to your site. I saw you on O’Reilly Factor and that is how I found out about you. Thank you. xo
Dear Marina, For your homework, my ideal “Life of Riley” would be to share my success with you and provide for your wants and needs. With you are by the pool as in your opening image, I’m sure you’d need me to apply sunblock lotion all over you!
I hadn’t seen many of your earlier videos. I just saw your “spitting image” answer video. At 2:23 you said something I really wanted to hear. Also, you wore a colorful dress with a plunging neckline and no bra, and you sent us a kiss! Now, your videos are more respectable, but you still are just as beautiful! Your dear student, Seesixcm6
Hey Guys
If you would like to see why you started
coming and hang out here in the first place
just watch this old video,
BEST OF HOTFORWORDS
Damn ……..I had forgot my self.
whAT HAPPenED ?
She cut her hair
No, no no! We don’t watch for her cleavage, nor for her stacked, slender figure, nor for her beautiful hair and fine features! No, it’s because of her mind and intellect, which will last much longer than transient beauty! True love is for the entire person!
If I struck it rich, I would say “lead on McDuff,” and be “in like Flynn” living the “life of Riley” on the beach somewhere (some might call it a fool’s paradise). The “Devil is in the details,” however, I’ll try to be a “Daniel coming to judgment” and flesh things out a bit.
Thanks for the mention it made my day. XOX I would try to have a big party and invite everyone here to come and pay their way. I like to meet people and make new friends. So everyone have an excellent day.
Congrats Mike!
Your famous now!
Not Morse code just trying to get the smiley faces to work right. I can’t get the text to come up when I hover over them. …—…
… — …
Gee, Mike,
Now you went and done it. I trust a bit of fame won’t change you too much. Will you still let me read your posts? Congratulations! Have a beer on me (well, sort of)!
Nazdorovye, m’bud!
What do you know? Enjoy the
moment! Congratulations.
A lot of folks are hurting over the economics of oil company profiteering. Rough on young families
easy your going to make me pee my pants laughing
Here’s a cold one for all of you thanks. [] [] [] [] [] the last two are for Marina and myself so we can all celebrate.
.
.– …. .- – .. … .– .. – …. – …. . -.. — – … — .. -.- . ..–.. – .-. -.– .. -. –. – — .-.. . .- .-. -. — — .-. … . -.-. — -.. . ..–..
bad replys
I’ll need to stick to coffee but, here here c[_I]
High fives.
That was the second time wasn’t it?
Yes I believe is twas.
Yay Moose, we rock bro!
Try to take in the cheers, and save it in there for rainy days
I was unfortunate to be away from the PC because of my exams period, and I wish all to live a little like Riley, as I know I will today!
Chemikal <3
Hwk: Basically do what I’m doing.
Marina,
Well a rich human, unfortunatly not I.
I would have to search for someone to help me spend the loot.
I would start at a night club and spread the wealth
Greg
Hey
Sit under a shady tree and listen to the birds chirp all day.
Go to a nursery school and play with the kids.
Eat fine food and share prases with my friends.
Be at one with God
Have HotForWords be my private tutor.
Travel and be the candyman to the world.
Oh… Riiiileeey! I was thinking of O’RIELLY, my mistake.
Hey, if there was an expression ‘living the life of O’Rielly’, what would it mean?
Fellow hellers!
No, just trying out Morse code and trying to get the text on the smileys to work for me.
#5 still alive
Homework
This is an easy one. Buy out my
partners and restructure the biz.
More travel, more better toys.
Fund a food coop for the less
fortunates. Stuff like that.
I would definitely get in more
deepwater fishing. Maid service?
Bravo, primo trabajo mi amigo
.
Just want to say I understand your experiment on joking.
No matter who or want you make a joke about someone will be offended.
Drummers, how generic and non-particular could you have been?? but still you got hurt feelings. If you are looking to be hurt you will always find it.
Good job and hopefully it will help people to be more tolerant of the chronically subversive Satirist
Nah, nobody got hurt. Lucky for us all
there’s a lesson to stimulate comments
of a positive nature. Besides, all I had
left for drummer jokes were really, really,
bad ones!
Lawyer jokes are always safe.
Everyone hates lawyers
Q ) What do you call a couple of Lawyers at the bottom of a swimming pool.
A ) A good start?
Are you watching the War on CNN
Think maybe the shit is going to hit the fan.
Did you hear the joke there is that Georgia’s and the breakaway South Ossetia troops have learn to run away like the Americans.
No, I haven’t been watching. Did an early
fishing run and caught some of it on the radio.
Sounds like a lot of civilians are caught in
the fray against a well armed force.
Where is the UN in all this? Oh, yeah,
I keep forgetting what irrelevant pussies
they are. I guess Team America World
Police will have to save the day, again.
These attacks were well planned, far
in advance. The logistics of moving
men, equipment and supplies through
that mountainous region didn’t “just
happen”. Putin is in for deep doo doo
if he doesn’t halt his activities. Guess
he thought we would all be watching
the Olympics? This was a calculated
and methodic attack. Wait and see
what happens next
U.N. is useless. Russia sits on the Security Council. They can veto any resolution.
Yes The UN-America right out in front again
I am going to get some t-shirts made that say “Pull out of Russia ”
And get in on the next hot PC movement.
Now I know how the French feel to have the
world think your a coward.
Why do you say that? Nobody has
formed a coalition, yet. It’s not an
unexpected thing that Russia has
plans to destroy the democracy
in Georgia. Muchas the mullahs
have kept Iraq from peace for the
same reason. No more discussion,
for now. Wait and see what happens…
Team America (explicit lyrics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI&feature=related
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY HAPPY HAPPY JOY song all together now!!
$
.
DOT
.
LMAO I had trouble with it too.
Alx, how do I load or find the add on that makes the picture come up the way your does on the dot thingy?
hey, mike. m. has a plugin that does that automatically when your link points to a picture. something like whatever.com/blabla.JPG or whatever.com/blabla.BMP. try this. right click on an image of a website, then choose “open image in new window” (or something like that, i don’t know what your browser says but it has to be something to that effect). then you can copy the url in the address bar, and if you look at it, it should have a “jpg”, “gif”, “png”, or “bmp” at the end.
once you linked that url here it will come up like that automatically.
umm, no, wait, you can copy it FROM the address bar, not in it.
Thanks, I figured it out.
wasaaaa!! ……..
I just did a quantum mechanics calculation and the odds of you getting first every day are not in your favor. So the fact is that your doing something to end up first poster every lesson. So random chance? Im afraid not. I call your bluff and raise you a MiG-25.
alx out (dot)et me yesterday
so redo that quantum mechanics calculation 
I just gave alx the dot
{\Delta x}\, {\Delta p} \ge \frac{\hbar}{2} = ? for got what I was calculating
Way ahead of you on that Foxbow.
You’ve been beating the 50% chance rule. Also you say you don’t use your F5 button and never refresh. I find that hard to believe. 
I know there is something your not telling us. OR you just fibbing.
Capman, Your a true pirate! Passing him the dot. hehehehe
Did you click on his dot. It is click able. After my Dot response.
like 50% of the time it was just “luck” the other 50% was something not involving f5
Not involving F5????? You mean the refresh icon? How could it be something not using a refresh?
Cap. Who knows how foxbow does it, he is the Grand Master! But I’ll tell you how I did it once. Open HFW in 3 or 4 or 5 tabs then keep refreshing them when you think the timing is right. Use F5 but also just refresh the URL at the top (it’s quicker). Done right & you can refresh as you’re commenting etc. Good luck & may God be with you in this ‘grand struggle’ as you are up against a MAJOR talent here! Sorry foxbow, everyone needs a leg-up now and then.
Hes not a Grand Master. I could trump his technique easily.
I really didn’t care about being first. I just wanted to see if I could dig the technique out from him. I wanted to find out if he did something I haven’t tried yet. He posted that he wasn’t using the F5 for refreshing and that he said he was just lucky by accident. He also said he didn’t know how he kept becoming first all the time. I found that unbelievable. 
My original technique was to refresh my YouTube subscription page for Marina’s new video upload. Then I knew that she would updating her site soon. I then would take the url of the last lesson and advance it one day. i.e. (http://www.hotforwords.com/2008/08/14/) and just keep refreshing that page. It worked for a bit until foxbow beat me to the punch. But have no fear. I have a card up my sleeve if I choose to use it. I am the TA. I can see the new posts being created. But that would be an unfair advantage so I don’t use that technique.