Zipper

Zipper… where did it get its name?

TAGS:

Leave a Reply

449 Responses to Zipper

  1. hott4urblog says:

    Zippers can be a Man’s worst enemy… Bra’s are more fun! Mine is YKK too! Must be a Monopoly Conspiracy! :smile: :mrgreen: Ask Zippy The PinHead!

  2. MtnDood says:

    Pshh… what zipper? Haha Kobe dragging shoe! Is the zipper stuck on his hair?

  3. darlingj says:

    I consider this a FULL definition where the origin is the most interesting…

    A little editing and Dictionary Girl has another word for the Dictionary, if she wants to keep the identities and messages separate.

  4. nando321 says:

    :twisted: Whaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttt? I have suscribed to this? Hey hottie you don’t have anything better to do? Show up your body! :smile:

  5. bigdave says:

    :twisted: Hi Hot.
    I am new to your sight but enjoy watching beautiful women. I also enjoy learning jhings. So naturally I enjoy watching beautiful women while learning things. :mrgreen: So that is why I am here.
    I have a word request. This is actually a two word request that both mean the same thing. The words are deadbeat and freeloader. Often used to describe ones husband or boyfriend (and occasionally girlfriend). So, please, if you can get around to it give us the origin of these words.
    Thanks, an adoring admirer,
    Big Dave

  6. getsmart says:

    Hi, I’m superfastfrog on youtube, and this is my word request:
    Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. I know it’s a really long word but it’s cool.

  7. xxwagsxx says:

    i have always wanted to no how the word st patrick’s day got its name

  8. James says:

    Marina, In my latest (ish) video. I asked people to ask me anything..I would include the answers in a follow up video. I would really like to include a question from you (or anyone else) here in the video too…

  9. wetsuit5 says:

    For me it’s the origin of ideas that really floats my boat.

    Zipper, the word, certaintly comes from the sound it makes.
    But what would cause a thought to create a zipper in the first place?
    What caused the creative invention?

    I paused at the patent picture, those folks back in the late 1800′s really has some smarts going.
    Their design is exactly what it looks like today.

    Kinda like “Milk”.
    Where did that name come from?
    And what rocketscientist figured out that he was going to drink whatever came out of those things?
    Inventive Genisus.

  10. wetsuit5 says:

    This has got to be embarassing.
    Slow day on YouTube.
    And your video is behind a video on Monkey pictures.

    And the logic is ……….???

  11. alphathrow says:

    :idea:
    I’d like to know the origin of the word “areyouacceptingapplicationsforloveslaves”. :wink: Other than that that, I wanted to mention that one of the zippers on my person is “TYT” though the other is “YKK”.

  12. ptinwp says:

    Many of us work with personal computers, but we sometimes hear about a “mainframe” computer… Just what is a “mainframe” and where does that word come from? Thanks so much!

  13. hotrocky says:

    The zipper on my Wrangler Jeans doesn’t have a brand name on the pull, just a little icon in the shape of a boot, so I reckon it’s a Wrangler zipper.

  14. James says:

    When is your birthday everyone?

  15. mesquita says:

    lol! how do you think so do a video for where coming the name ofs the week like sartuday! :grin:

  16. biswalhalla says:

    FLAK. We wear FLAK Jackets and you can give people FLAK, but very few know where the term originates.

  17. James says:

    This is very odd..

    Honours for my most recent video.

    #7 – Most Discussed (Today) – Travel & Events
    #99 – Most Discussed (Today) – Travel & Events – Global
    #79 – Most Discussed (This Week) – Travel & Events
    #72 – Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events
    #81 – Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – India
    #19 – Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – New Zealand
    #62 – Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Israel
    #100 – Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – Global
    #89 – Most Viewed (Today) – Travel & Events – South Korea
    #41 – Most Viewed (This Month) – Travel & Events
    #41 – Top Favorited (Today) – Travel & Events
    #7 – Top Rated (Today) – Travel & Events
    #97 – Top Rated (This Week) – Travel & Events

    India, New Zealand, Israel, South Korea??

    That is very odd…

  18. caucus54 says:

    Kudos, I’m interested in the word kudos.

  19. tobied says:

    Hey! i would like to know the word fornication comes from?
    Thanks!!

  20. patodlp says:

    WORD REQUEST:

    Sexy.
    Internet.
    Secret.

    Thanks be waiting for the answers :smile:

  21. flautabout says:

    Heyy! Where does the word “O’clock” come from? You know, like when someone says “It’s two o’clock”.
    Thanks!

  22. zeke says:

    I’d like to know the history of the word “Legacy”

  23. actionpetro says:

    Hi guy, thanks for the commits on “oleophilic” It does mean what I thought. But, is it a word made from industry terms, or does it have some origin from else where? I think that it is a word that was invented from industry or a scientific purpose.

  24. hfwrulz says:

    Hey Marina my friend told me a masturbation joke and i was wonderin wear the word masturbation came from think you can find out?

  25. t_hrbamf says:

    Request for the phrase “double-cross”

  26. cufan71 says:

    Critter Word Requests
    Scorpion
    Skunk-PHEW!!!!
    Lobster
    Escargot-Snail Yummy! :smile:

  27. sashisruski says:

    yea i’ve heard people say the expression “lion’s share” before. could you investigate please?
    spaciba :)

  28. kevtmc says:

    Nice lesson on zipper! I just watched the lesson on irony and how much it is misused. I was hoping you could clarify a phrase which I feel is often misused: Lion’s share. Most use this incorrectly I feel to describe a majority portion. I do not believe this to be true. Ironic maybe, well actually no, just misinformed.

  29. ready2roll says:

    I live in the US and my name is Randy. I would like to know why the English use the word RANDY for meaning HORNY? As in, I’m feeling reather RANDY today.

  30. cozmo006 says:

    I love the lessons!
    And your beauty is icing on the cake :mrgreen:
    I was adding a comment suggesting “grand parents day” on what you should put on your calendar. Then I began to wonder where the word grandparent came from. Would you be so kind to investigate. Thanks

  31. jcr says:

    P.S. I don’t have any clothes with zippers on them today, jogging suit.

    • Captain Jack says:

      Speaking of clothes Jcr. When are we going to see a gravatar of something other than the lower part of your person. So many women get angry of us guys always looking down, and your encouraging it? heheh just kidding you Jcr! And don’t be funny and just show us your chest. There I go and done it. Now your going to give us a photo of the bottom of your shoe. :roll:

      I don’t jog. I only run when chased. :razz:

      • jcr says:

        I’m shy. This one is better than my old one which was a…raccoon…for no earthly reason except that I took a photo of it in our yard. Plus, I had a certain admiration for it, after a repair person (who happened to be male, just by chance) didn’t listen to me about raccoons being in our crawl space and put his hand on a sleeping raccoon. It sounded like someone was being murdered. If you only knew the rest of THAT story. Imagine a woman creeping very slowly towards a crawl space, knives in hand, feeling ambivalent about rescuing a clueless repair guy who REFUSED to listen and was paying the consequences.

    • Captain Jack says:

      What the heck where you trying to rescue the repair guy? :roll: It was the raccoon that needed the rescuing. I would have ran to wal-mart and bought a shot gun and well after dragging the corps out of the craw space, I would have been apologizing to the raccoon profusely and tell it that it would never happen again. :mrgreen:
      You know what you should do? Send the company a box of Q-tip swabs. and a photo of a raccoon. :lol: :lol:

      • jcr says:

        Actually, the raccoon was definitely winning that battle which was apparent as soon as the guy made it out of the crawl space. I looked down and could almost swear I saw a raccoon with a victorious grin on its face :lol: The repair guy was NOT happy and he didn’t fix our air conditioning or heat either. Oh, well….can’t win ‘em all, unless you are a sleeping raccoon taking on a clueless repair person. Lesson: do not touch sleeping raccoons.

      • foxbow says:

        I ones put my hand in to a hole that had a badger in it…. ended up with 4 stitches orso 2 injections and a dead badger….. :???:

  32. jcr says:

    That is the cutest dog! He wouldn’t let go of the shoe string while going after that tennis ball, so playful!

  33. nypr82ja says:

    hello, i had no idea a tire company started that name. something knew to tell my friends…lol thanks

  34. kingramzo says:

    as you are always giving us your students homework i want to know the origin of the word homework

  35. saintthm says:

    this sounds perverted… but the origin of the word masturbation

  36. james25 says:

    where did we get the football phrase “taking it to the barn”?

  37. Dear Marina, You have a very pretty name, same as my sister!. My paragliding buddies and I are wondering what is the meaning of “Dead as a door nail” and from where did it originate? You are the best, please choose our request!!!!

    And check out paragliding on the web….

    Cheers,

    -Mark

  38. rick716 says:

    HI, i wanted to see if you could investigate the phrase “break a leg” where did that come from???? see your next clip :razz:

  39. Elijah says:

    I would really like to know more about the word “loquacious” and was wondering if hotforwords could investigate

  40. vyrerus says:

    Could you investigate Denali?

  41. ilex says:

    Hello Marina, I was wondering where the phrase ‘For pete’s sake’ comes from.

  42. mcb95x says:

    request a word
    Germany?
    My question is not my question is not really germany, but why it goes by such varied names in other languages
    english germany
    german Deutschland
    french allemagne
    spanish alemania
    italian germania
    i seems like we would all call it Detschland or a derivative of the translation (example united states, estados unidos or japan japon

    • pedanticKarl says:

      Hello mcb95x, I had also asked for that once or twice about two months ago. My guess is that Marina may not do the variations of Germany as it may not appeal to a large audience, and she would need to figure out a way to make the video very interesting. Don’t let that stop you from continuing to ask though as Marina has always surprised me and I’m always wrong on these kinds of predictions.

      That particular question you ask is near and dear to me as I have done lots of research into that topic and which also touches on other countries such as Austria / Österreich for example. Here are two wiki pages that should tide you over until Marina does the video.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_for_Germany
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Various_terms_used_for_Germans

  43. nw2394 says:

    More commonly simply called “zip” in the UK I think.

  44. sniperskaya says:

    Marina, I’m hurt! I asked you the same question about zipper on September 14th, 2008 at 3:58 am!

    • pedanticKarl says:

      Hey sniper, how did you get hurt? Did you get it stuck in the zipper? Ouch, that must really hurt. :eek:

    • Now now, don’t take it so hard. As you
      know, being that you are an avid admirer
      of Marina’s work, the TA’s have begun
      a process for keeping track of words
      requested, and by whom. This is a
      recent change to the program and the
      hoped for result is to collate all requests
      made and list them for Marina to review
      in a coherent manner. So many requests
      are posted here, not to mention numerous
      video requests received by Marina. It has
      been the case where a request can be all
      to easily lost in the shuffle. Your request
      of Sept. 14 came in amongst a slew of new
      requests, thus illustrating the need for a
      vetting process. Please continue to make
      your requests with the assurance that efforts
      are underway to minimize the chance your
      word request will fall through the cracks. :mrgreen:

  45. philcoextra says:

    i started a company called metroproper, and proper has so many meanings that i love.. where does the word “proper” come from?

  46. spiker425 says:

    Me too! I think YKK has cornered the market on zippers!

    Actually, Marina: I wonder if you could find out where the expression “cornered the market” came from. Hmmmmm….

  47. bobsully says:

    I was wearing shorts with a string tie, but early today I had pants on and the the letters “YKK” are on the tongue.

  48. darnko says:

    Hello Marina,

    love your stuff. The word “smart” got me to thinking, so many different meanings, intelligent (like you, like me) , pain, looking good and insolence. Keep up the great work!

    Darnko
    :cool:

  49. swineheund says:

    Can you explain how “to take” came to mean “to go for” as in “to take a walk”?

    Bonus question: How did it come to be used in “to take a shit”? I would much rather imagine it as something I’m giving, not taking. But then, if you “give a shit”, it means you care about something, although it’s usually expressed in the negative, “I don’t give a shit.”

    So, do you care enough to investigate?

  50. GREG says:

    Levis or Wranglers
    Zipper or Buttons
    High Pockets or Low Rider
    Cowboys or Bikers

  51. tryant says:

    Mine says,,mmmmm,oooohhh,aahhhh,that feels good!

    Actually it says “YKK”.so ummmm,what does YKK stand for?

    tryant

  52. ravina says:

    Hi, can you please tell me what “Jig” is in “The Jig is up” :)

  53. eric812 says:

    i would also like to know the origin of gridiron and touchdown too,ya know its football season here in the united states.would you dress up like a cheerleader with pom poms? oh speaking of pom poms,whats the origin of pom poms?

  54. Fianchetto says:

    Word REQUEST: The most important words in the English language:

    5 most important words: “I am proud of you.”

    4 most important words: “What is your opinion?”

    3 most important words: “I love you.”

    2 most important words: “Thank you.”

    1 most important word: “You.”

    Ciao,
    Fianchetto

  55. eric812 says:

    marina,my zipper say YKK too.

  56. graymatter61 says:

    Marina, I enjoy your videos so much that I have started to post rellevant ones to my Fantasy Football League site. I’m trying to educate some of the guys. With this in mind could you do a video or two on either “gridiron” or “touchdown” or both? Intelligence IS sexy.

  57. runawayscott says:

    Hey mine says YKK too
    Marina, could you do the origin of the terms Left WIng and RIght wing
    as in liberal and conservative?

  58. Capman911 says:

    Riddle me this. :idea:

    Pears

    There are a few trees in a garden. On one of them, a pear tree, there are pears (quite logical). But after a strong wind blew, there were neither pears on the tree nor on the ground.
    How come?

  59. Fianchetto says:

    :!: Warning :!: For those of you who are out there clicking my name, when it comes around, you must remember to make it BIG – so it fills your entire screen. :!:

  60. dalcon12 says:

    Hi Marina. I would like to know what the heck “Cool Beans” really means. Why are beans cool?

  61. steph41979 says:

    I have a request for a word:) Awkward…this word has always seemed a bit awkward to me would love to hear abuot the story behind it. Love the vids

  62. vernon olson says:

    Dear Marina, I hope you are a Christian, you don’t have to answer that, because, you affirm my Christianity, only a God, my God, could create such intelligence and beauty in one package.

  63. Captain Jack says:

    I have a late announcement to make. Capman911 aka Mike, had a birthday yesterday. So lets wish him a belated birthday. Now he can have two great days in honor of his day.

    Happy belated birthday Mike! Thanks for the many years you have saved peoples lives and property. Thank you for covering for me as a TA here on HTW site.

    ______000000
    _____00000000
    ____0000140000
    ____0000000000
    _____00000000
    ______000000
    _________0
    _________0
    ________0
    _______0______HAppY BIRTHDAY
    _______0
    ________0_____HAppy BIRTHDAY
    __________________________________000000
    ____________________0____________00000000
    ____________0______000____0_____0000000000
    ___________00_____000_____00____0000000000
    ___________000_____I_____000_____00000000
    ____________I_____000_____I_______000000
    ___________000____000____000_________0
    ___________000____000____000_________0
    ___________000____000____000________0
    ___________000____000____000_______0
    ___________000____000____000_______0
    _______0000000000000000000000000
    _______0000000000000000000000000
    _______0000000000000000000000000
    _______0000000000000000000000000
    __00000000000000000000000000000000000

  64. drew_drew says:

    My zipper says YKK… Is this related to Year two thousand? I don’t know.

    I have a word request that I hope you won’t dismiss as trivial… the word is “trivia” and I was reading a book that said that rhetoric was once referred to as trivium (there were seven sciences and arts in the middle ages, apparently this one was number three). Is trivia derived from trivium? If not, where is it from? Thanks

  65. strikkepinne says:

    Hi, I’m just wondering where the word ”puppet” comes from.

  66. actionpetro says:

    I have a new word that is used in my industry but no one can explian where it came from or if it is a real word. The word is “oilephilic” what is suppose to mean is a oil is attracted to a meterial like plastic and oil stick to the plastic. But this word is not in the dictiary or in spell checker.. Can you find something on this word?

    Tim

  67. The zipper of these pants say YKK my sleeping bags that i sleep on every night say coleman there really long zippers all this is fine untill the zippers screw up then you run into the problem of fixity. Its a proven fact zipper fixity is unworkable because of age and wear and tear on the zipper make it unusable then its a matter of use of the correct and proper zipper as the replacement for the throughly used an abused zipper. The rule is she breaks or abuses zipper beyond fixity she replaces zipper from her own manufactured kind. No substitutes allowed.

  68. miroKarosu. says:

    Word request!
    I would like to know where the word ‘Masterbation’ came from.

  69. mijj says:

    word request : communication

    As an engineering student i studied communication as a technical subject. This involved a significant amount about protocols, “hand shaking”, etc to ensure information has been correctly identified and transferred.

    Would that be true, too, in the human sense of the word communication”? (i.e. communication hasn’t occurred until both parties are confident each other has a common grasp of the information.)

  70. I’m not ;) Comfy pj pants, but for what it’s worth, it’s Coca-Cola pants :D Normally, though, I believe it’s the same brandname as yours, HotForWords :)

  71. Capman911 says:

    Miss M. I we call English class here in the states English, what do you or Russians call the equivalent of the same class in Russia? Is it the same as I am going to Russian class? Inquiring minds want to know or at least I do. :smile:

    Mike

  72. James says:

    I smell of burning sock.. Because I burnt a sock

  73. chazmo says:

    Aloha My Hot For Words Teacher, you make words so interesting to learn and Love. My request is not so much as a single word but a saying and of course I would like to know the real origin. The saying is” Freeze the Balls Off a Brass Monkey.”

  74. GREG says:

    wow Kobe is a multitasker
    who’s ( dirty ) sock is on the table? :lol:

  75. vernon olson says:

    Hi, a word/action that has tremendous impact and is an action used by all. Most use this tactic as humor, but it is anything but that to the victim, it is very hurtful in a relationship. The people that use this action/tactic often do not realize why they do it. It stems from their anger, and this is why the origins of the word are so important for people to understand and therefore they will look within themselves to confront their reasons for their anger. Instead of hurting others over their own inability to work through their issues. The word “Sarcasm.”

    • pedanticKarl says:

      Hello vernon olson, that was a great introduction to set up the request for the word “Sarcasm”. I second that request, and I would like to have Marina touch on the cultural basis if possible.

      I believe sarcasm is used indiscriminately more so in some countries than others and I think that it is only the very few that either understand or can pull off a true sarcasm, and what happens in most cases is that which you described in your paragraph.

      • vernon olson says:

        Hi Pedantickarl, thank you for you 2nd. As I understand, the word is from the Greek word “Sacazim” which means to tear the flesh, how appropriate because that is the effect and intent in many cases. I am illiterate to a “True sarcasm” as you state and I look forward to learning that. I know the word sarcasm very intimately, and did not grow as a functioning person until I understood my sarcasm. I strive to be a better person through education.

  76. James says:

    Hello subordinate clauses.. Foxbow is back :yay: fists loosley in air

  77. animalntaz says:

    Dr. Evil, from ‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me’:

    “Zip it!”
    “Zippiiit… zippit, zippiiit!”
    “Oh look at me, I’m Zippy Longstalkings.”
    “Would you like to zuck on my zipple?”

  78. animalntaz says:

    Homework: Arizona jeans

    That’s a pretty catchy tune from your ROFLCOPTER (SOS) video. Who plays it?

  79. ldmajor says:

    Hi Marina
    Today in my english class we used the word SUED does it connect some how to the Russian word суд that is clearly sound alike

    thanks =]

  80. makk24 says:

    Hi Marina

    Can you please tell me the origin of he word “cigarette”.

    Thanks

  81. r1wolf says:

    Absolutley love that plaid skirt. Only thing I have on with a zipper is Levi’s.

    How about the word Absolutely :mrgreen:

  82. tom sinclair says:

    Great explanantion. How about the word handicapped?

  83. mijj says:

    hang on a cott’n pick’n minute …

    isn’t YKK essentially the same as Y2K?

    i suspect there’s some kind of conspiracy linking zippers and the twin towers attacks.

    • Hey mijj, The y2k analogy was one of the thoughts that comes to my thinking mind, only because when i was driving a truck, there was a fellow at a truck stop in Arizona, (at a Flying J truck stop) that i was having a conversation with whom seemed to be really concerened with the so called Y2k bug that was supposedly going to affect all those satelites the DOD has up. This was in 2002, two years after the soposedly win2k bug was going to cause havok with those satelites. I told him that the DOD had alredy taken care of that problem as every day life in 2002 was still functioning normally as far as I could tell. He seemed fairly concerned about it, like he was living life in the years before Y2k was going to occur. Strang huh?

      • mijj says:

        there’s nothing more appealing than a weird convoluted theory that’s obviously completely wrong.

        it’s like the mind’s struggling to demonstrate how it can believe something’s logical, no matter how ridiculous.

        :smile:

  84. bsomebody says:

    Marina, just a little feedback on your show. I like the words that you take all the way back to their roots. The word origins often say so much about us. I also prefer your candid pictures to your professional shots. The pics with you in the pink top and the big dog look familiar; can you say where I would have seen them before? One more question; are your eyes really that blue? I dated a girl with eyes like that a looooooong time ago, I got lost everytime I looked in those eyes. Keep up the great work :!:

  85. Word request UP!
    Bogus… please…

  86. orbs says:

    Marina: what is the origin of the word “hopefully’? When you were on the Factor last night, you told Bill, “I’ll see you soon again, hopefully.” “Hopefully” is used nowadays to mean “I hope”, but I don’t think that’s what it originally meant. I think HotForWords should investigate!
    (BTW, i checked several zippers and they all say “YKK”. They must have a monopoly.)

  87. bsomebody says:

    Levi’s. I guess they make their own zippers.

  88. wetsuit5 says:

    Ut Oh!

    Have we just started a new fad?

    Are all the school kids now going to run around checking the brand of their zippers.

    Here’s a mental image: High School Cheer Leaders grabbing the zippers on your jeans to check the brand. Jocks grabbing the zippers on the Cheer Leaders sweaters to check out the brand.

    A new greeting, poo poo on the hand shake, let me see your zipper.

    Designer zippers vs us poor slobs in the YKK brand.

    XYZ your YKK.

  89. redapple says:

    Where did the origination of the word “Earth” come from? It will not be as easy as you think. Hint: you will have to break free from the populist mindset.

    If you get it wrong you will have to marry me or at least consider it seriously :smile:

  90. pijama2006 says:

    My zipper is YKK.
    WORD REQUEST: I’d like to know the origins of “Stock car” (NASCAR – National Stock Car).

    Kisses.

  91. Fianchetto says:

    WORD REQUEST(S): Bear and Bull

    Since Wall Street is taking it on the chin lately with the sub-prime loan stuff. I know a bear market results when the bears sell (or short) more than the bulls buy (or long) and vice versa. The only way I do not confuse the two is remembering that a bull strikes up with its horns, and a bear strikes down with its claws, but would love to see you do a vid with their real origins. BTW there are lots of animals on wall street…Bulls drive the market up, Bears drive it down, Sheep just follow the crowd, and Pigs get slaughtered (some of them must be Buddhist pigs, because they are transformed into Lame Ducks – which term I see you’ve already done).

    Ciao,
    Fianchetto

  92. birdfreak says:

    I request “bird” and “freak” and as a bonus, “doppleganger”

    Saw you on O’Reilly and you were awesome. O’Reilly is a great show!!

    • Captain Jack says:

      What kind of birds you have? I use to work at pet stores, and had to take care of many of them. They can do some crazy things. I found a macaw that could pick a Master Lock™ in about 5 to 10 mins. :shock: We decided that we could market his services as a lock smith to pay for his upkeep. :wink:

  93. mcbugbear says:

    misandrist, when did it fall out of common usage?

  94. goatusmax says:

    I love your work, and apparently so does my girlfriend.
    I don’t have a specific word I want to know the origin of but rather two sayings. I want to know the origins of “Tickled Pink” and Green With Envy”. How did we come to associate these colors with these feelings?

  95. neophyte30 says:

    Hello,
    My zipper says “NE”. Love your facts on interesting words.
    I am wondering what “That’s Some Bad Hat Harry” phrase means. I see it at the closing of some tv shows, like a production company logo.
    But what does it mean? and where does it come from?
    Thanks so much,
    Neophyte30

  96. cufan71 says:

    : :shock: YKK on My shorts!!!! Learn something new every day!
    Thank you Marina for the awesome lesson on zipper! :cool:

  97. B.F. Goodrich . . . the company without a blimp. I had several relatives work at Goodrich during its tire making hay-day in Akron. My grandfather had rubber boots with a zipper running up the front made by Goodrich. I believe this was one of the first applications of the zipper. The University of Akron, has a mascot called Zippy, a kangaroo some engineering student must have imagined putting a zipper on its pouch.

  98. hutchiee says:

    My zipper is YKK. I thought it may be an airport designation for YKK, but that turns out to be Kitkatla Airport.

    I did find that YKK stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha – now I know why they can’t put that on a zipper and use YKK.

  99. hutchiee says:

    Without a zipper we would not have the painful humor that opens Something About Mary. Sometimes a button fly is more appropriate. :shock:

  100. hitoshi says:

    the zipper of my dolce & Gabbana jeans is LAMPO. where is the company from?

  101. evoarts says:

    :twisted: can you tell me were we get the word dunny or dunny can it means a toilet its pronounced done-e

  102. wetsuit5 says:

    Marina,

    Ha Ha Ha!!

    Just noticed you kept your Co-Star under wraps for the actual video.
    I’ll take what’s behind curtain number 1.

    Oh no wait a second.
    That’s the flying dog under his parachute.

    • Fianchetto says:

      From NASA:

      The symbol for Mercury represents the head and winged cap of Mercury, god of commerce and communication, surmounting his caduceus (staff).

      From me:

      “Fianchetto” from the Italian, means “by the side” or “by the flank” (where a sidearm or sword is carried), in modern useage, refers to a position in chess where the (usually) king’s bishop is between the advanced king’s knight’s pawn and the castled king to form a formidable defensive position, while still allowing the bishop to exert control diagonally across the center of the board by being handy for hit-and-fade attacks against unsupported opposing pieces who may attempt to establish a central attack. In the diagram on Wikipedia, after 1.Nf3 … 2 O-O … one achieves the position I describe.

      Ciao,
      FIanchetto

  103. wetsuit5 says:

    YKK here.

    OMG It’s even on my wetsuit zipper.

    Must be a conspiracy.
    Lets lay out 700 Billion and open up a USA Zipper factory.

    Wonder is there is an XYZ brand in existence?

  104. jdschwartz says:

    With the coming election here in the U.S. I would love to know the origin of the word Politician.

  105. foxbow says:

    my jeans don’t have zippers :wink: just buttons hehe,……
    Just found one that has , ……. :???: it only says “M” …….

  106. mijj says:

    CaptainJack

    … you mentioned a few days ago (at least) that a number of people are making videos using greenscreen/bluescreen. Do you have further info to back this up? – i’d like to track some likely prospects down.

  107. buzzword says:

    fly as in zipper originates as wing or flap.

  108. mijj says:

    hmmm … .. as long as you plug your ears, that Bill O’Rilley interview thing went well.

    in celebration …
    [King Crimson - Elephant Talk]

  109. silviu2906 says:

    sorry for my spelling mistake :D i wanted to ask if you could tell me what’s the origin of the word “ORIGIN” i’m very curious to find out :D

  110. Fianchetto says:

    Some of us were discussing the use of language by animals recently, and I just remembered Mr. Coleridge’s opinion on the matter, and thought to share it, not for the sake of argument, per se, but, rather more simply for the beauty of it. And also should not in any way be considered an attempt at covert insult, it just happens to be the name of the poem. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! :smile:

    Answer To A Child’s Question
    By Samuel Taylor Coleridge

    Do you ask what the birds say? The Sparrow, the Dove,
    The Linnet and Thrush say, I love and I love!
    In the winter they’re silent — the wind is so strong;
    What it says, I don’t know, but it sings a loud song.
    But green leaves, and blossoms, and sunny warm weather,
    And singing, and loving — all come back together.
    But the Lark is so brimful of gladness and love,
    The green fields below him, the blue sky above,
    That he sings, and he sings; and for ever sings he –
    I love my Love, and my Love loves me!

    1802

    Ciao,
    Fianchetto

  111. Prospero says:

    Hey wow – that’s one I forgot I asked about.

  112. cookiemon says:

    Hi teacher!
    (excuse my bad english)

    I was just looking at a Ricky gervais show, where he talked about “going commando”, wich he means that he was going to strip down completley naked in front of a doctor.
    Well i was just thinking (and also he was thinking the same) what does that word commando come from? And what does it mean by saying that you are “going commando”?
    Doesn´t Commandos wear pants?

    Please tell me this! =) I need to know!

  113. My zipper reads “People’s Zipper Factory Number 3.” Now that’s one long zipper handle but then…

    YKK stands for Yummie Kiss Kiss (what else?).

  114. lostinhere says:

    Sorry, but the current US Army uniform uses buttons and Velcro as fasteners, no zippers. :cry:

    • Fianchetto says:

      LOL – My old navy uniform had 13-button trousers …or as we referred to them, 13 chances for her to say “no”.

      Ciao,
      Fianchetto

    • Fianchetto says:

      From the Department of the Navy:

      On the Button: The Crackerjacks’ History Isn’t Just a Sea Story

      Concern has echoed throughout the male ranks of the fleet. It’s not concern for their pay they voice, nor complaints of the demanding work load they endure. These guardians of the seas feel threatened by a rumored change in Navy policy – a change that would strike them “below the belt.” It’s a change of enormous consequence to these members of a Navy associated with hundreds of years of tradition, symbolism and legend. This is a fearful removal of the one thing that supports these seamen and petty officers in their daily mission as members of the world’s finest Navy.

      These men in blue vocalize distress over the button shortage. Not just any button, mind you – the Navy button. That small, black, anchor-imprinted jewel which, along with 12 of its cousins, comprise the only means used to anchor the lower half of the world’s most widely-recognized uniform, the “crackerjacks.” This shortage can only mean on thing, according to rumor control – there is a move afoot to install zippers.

      Gad! Why all this brouhaha over a button? To a “landlubber” this may appear trivial, but these “salts” depend on this opaque fastener to display a uniform that today contains countless symbols of tradition and American naval history. If the zipper lobby in Washington is successful, it will strip thousands of seamen and petty officers of one of the most priceless articles of Navy lore. This must stop!

      Think of what this could do to the American button industry, not to mention those associated with the button – button-holers, button artists, button tailors, etc. – and not to mention Aunt Ruth’s button box that’s already overflowing with these outdated closure devices. Yes, Navy buttons have held the fleet together for nearly two centuries, while promoting jobs and the economy. And after the button, what goes next? Just look back at what happened before the button to see what an instrumental affect it’s had on U.S. maritime security.

      In 1817, after 42 years of confusion over enlisted men’s attire, the War Department finally dared to enforce a uniform regulation for its rag-clad naval force, demanding that enlisted men wear “blue jackets and trousers, red vest with yellow buttons and a black hat.” The War Department neglected to mention shoes, and a largely barefoot and blister-filled enlisted force patrolled the world’s oceans until the grandfather of crackerjacks was name the official uniform in 1864.

      This uniform is considered the world’s most recognized as a symbol of America’s strength, good will and dedication to freedom, according to Marine Corps Col. Robert H. Rankin in his book Uniforms of the Sea Services. This popularity has raised questions over the years as to the origins of the crackerjack’s design. Many interpretations of each facet of this uniform have been rendered by salts over the years. The buttons are probably the most talked about and revered aspect of naval garb for the past five or six wars.

      Buttons swiftly replaced the previous trouser’s string tie, apparently after years of barefoot sailors hanging themselves – or their friends – in frustration after trying to keep their pants up. Then, in 1864, crackerjack trousers were designed with a “broadfall,” or flap, held in place by seven of these easily replaced fasteners. After a slight length increase of the broadfall in 1894 – possibly linked to the average sailor’s weight – six buttons were added for symmetrical design and to prevent an unwanted unveiling of the wearer.

      Members of the Navy since 1894 have capitalized on numerous explanations for the coincidental number of buttons on the broadfall, the only publishable one being that they represent the original 13 colonies of America defended so efficiently by the Continental Navy. This romantic notion is widely accepted by seagoers, and rebuttal may be swiftly greeted by either heated debate or a knuckle sandwich. The best yarn spinners strengthen their case by pointing out that uniform designers hid the 14th button (known as the stealth button) behind the broadfall so the button-colony connections would still be supported – not to mention their trousers.

      Ah, but frustration still ran throughout the now-buttoned-up fleet, as buttons couldn’t do the whole job, apparently. So, in memory of those valiant barefoot mariners who had hung themselves two paragraphs ago, a string tie was added in the back. This would effectively cinch the wearer’s waist inside a woolen vise, while enhancing physical flexibility and coordination as sailors attempted tightening this shoe-like rearward device without tying their hands behind their backs. Now, really, how can you spin a yarn about a zipper?

      I think Our Dear Teacher just did.

      Ciao,
      Fianchetto

  115. pedanticKarl says:

    It’s interesting how the executive at BF Goodrich exclaimed the phrase “Zip ‘er up” while zipping up his boot. I wonder if his utterance of those words were onomatopoetic.

  116. matvey says:

    how many russians don’t know the origin of the word “spasibo,” meaning “thank you,” in english? well, i’ve taken a recent poll among muscovites whom i associate with, and the results were staggering. oy. it comes from old russian, and originally was spoken as, “spasi Bog,” meaning, “may God save you,” yet with time was reduced to “spasibo.”

    okay, so how about “thank you” in english? where does it come from, and what is its history? we say it myriad times throughout the months of our lives, at least in the west. such a story could be fascinating.

    thank you :smile:

  117. In French a ZIPPER is called FERMETURE ÉCLAIR “closing-lightning”.

    Eh ! Girls and Boys ! What about the name in YOUR LANGUAGE ?

    My new tribute to Marina : ETYMOLOGY of TRAGEDY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9aTyxLNYNI

  118. HotForWords says:

    I put my O’Reilly appearance from tonight up… you can see it here:
    http://www.hotforwords.com/2008/09/23/on-the-oreilly-factor-show-3rd-appearance/

    Let me know what you think :-)

  119. pricedot says:

    Please Teacher,Can I go home early? My YKK has Jammed in the down Position.

  120. misscupcake says:

    lol at kobe! ahaha i think he couldnt decide which to play with so he chose both. bit difficult but twice as fun i guess!

    i cant do my homework teacher. i left my pants at home LOL!

    nah not really :mrgreen: all my jeans are in the wash!

    i have a word request! bikini! :mrgreen:

    i heard anders at the end! i love anders. :oops:

    ist alx hier? :cool:

  121. Capman911 says:

    With all the YKK going on is everyone sick. Did all of you eat the same thing. Likea trousersnouser.

  122. horkasoraus says:

    The zipper on my pants says Ideal. And on my jacket carhartt

  123. PageDoll says:

    YKK…Yep. It looks looks YKK has the zipper market pretty well wrapped up. :mrgreen:

  124. Captain Jack says:

    Homework: 5VS on my jacket.YKK on my dockers.
    OMG! you know what I just realized? Marina found a way to get 30,000 guys to unzip their flies! Now for Marina’s next trick!…. :twisted:

    What the heck was Kobe doing? Shoe lace in his jaw while playing with a ball. Kobe is getting smarter. He can play with two toys at once. Oh and you notice Marina bought Kobe lots of expensive toys and it looks like he is having more fun with with a shoe and ball. That figures. I wonder what his favorite toys are?

    Well I missed the Fox show. :cry: :cry: :cry: Someone pass the tissues please!

  125. pedanticKarl says:

    Holy zippers, all of mine say Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha.
    Ohhh my gawd, someone’s got a monopoly on zippers.

  126. Homework: YKK!
    (must be Chinese?)
    That was a surprise,
    I was expecting the
    Talon brand… :mrgreen:

  127. Dezdkado says:

    Homework: YKK
    Comment: Kobe’s looking greedy (as well as cute)
    Word Request: Tart… why does it refer to acerbity (in taste or attitude) or a pastry or a prostitute (loose woman).

  128. kyle2011 says:

    how about the phrase “bee’s knees”

  129. Fianchetto says:

    Perhaps *I* DO control the internet…not all of it, of course, but just my happy little corner of it….the part that I put out there that screams to the world, “This is who I am…This is what I like…”
    Or, at least, what I want the world to think that I am because this is what I like..

    SET “Rambling Mode” = OFF

    But I like THIS one so much, I will drop it again:

    http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=8743f055c4696b70a371248cb110ddc89a953023

    Ciao,
    Fianchetto

  130. cynalitical says:

    My trusty HotForWords Marina,

    The zipper on my trousers share their name with the manufacturer of them. It reads Levi’s. I would very much like to know the origin of the two words I used to comprise my screen name which are: Cynical and Analytical. I would also like to know why we use the word Happen to describe events. Thank you :grin:

    your dear student,
    cynalitical

  131. seesixcm6 says:

    совершенная Marina, Ah, the smileys are back, now. I forgot to mention that your nice miniskirt has very attractive black lace underneath. And I’ll happily remember your skirt’s YKK zipper is on your left, too. :grin: (I hope that information will be useful someday, and only in a nice way, too.) Your dear student, seesixcm6, who needed a reason to use smileys.) :smile:

  132. dachande says:

    Can you explain the origin of my screen name? :wink:

  133. achsdu17 says:

    1) I don’t have a brand name on the zipper.

    2) I like that dog! :smile:

  134. mijj says:

    bobmando on the O’Reilly Factor Show Tonight thread identifed a good quiz …

    [World's Smallest Political Quiz]

  135. smokey36bear says:

    About 90% (or more) zippers have YKK on them.

  136. seesixcm6 says:

    совершенная Marina, I hope you are safely home from the O’Reilly show. I’m sure you did well. For your homework, my zipper tab has the word, “IDEAL” embossed on it, on both sides. It’s a Champion sweat jacket. So your skirt zipper has “YKK” on it. Perhaps it’s designed to function after Y2K, that year 2000 crisis they imagined. It looked little Kobe had a shoelace caught in his teeth. Poor Kobe! I hope you released it from Kobe by now. Your dear student, seesixcm6 :-)

  137. varad17 says:

    Hi ,
    I’d like to request the origin of the words “blonde” and “brunet” as they refer to a color but only when it applies to a person’s hair.
    As you say “please investigate” :-)

    ps: I see you have a small white dog, but what happened to the great dane? I happen to own a dane myself…that’s why I ask….

    thanks , love the show!
    Jay

  138. smokey36bear says:

    Don’t know about you guys, but zippers are FUN

  139. Tazman says:

    I looked on three pairs of pants. and they all have YKK on the zipper.

    Hello Dear Teacher! My word requests are…

    ‘ANTHROPOMORPHIC’
    ‘PHANTASMAGORIA’

    Thanks.

Author: HotForWords

Not your typical philologist! Putting the LOL in PhiLOLogy :-)