Bedlam
Bedlam… why does it mean chaos, a madhouse?
Author: HotForWords
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I actually knew the meaning of “bedlam” before watching this video. In college, I took a class in the history of psychology, and we discussed the situation at Saint Mary’s.
That makes sense since the division of reformation that has affected Jerusalem, in which causes sin; such as current events in the Gaza.
Probably the reason that insane asylum was called Bedlam because of 2 dutch words. Bed + Lam. Bed means bed in english, so it’s the same and Lam means Paralyzed. In other words forced to the bed or could be interpreted as incapacitated, without force to walk around in a “normal way”, or ill. Ill-minded. Also Lame could come from Lam. As in “that’s lame” or too soft, or boring..
Anyway insane asylum called Bedlam => which causes the expression.
yeah,like it says below…do “mojo”!!!!!
Boobie-hatch
nuthouse. madhouse. looney bin. cracker factory (just made that up).
prison camp isn’t very different. Very sad.
There is an interesting site on the manufacture of madness at http://www.cchr.org if marina allows urls to be posted.
***
What does MOJO mean. I member that old song from the 1970’s Mojo rising and tried and internet search and made it to New Orleans Voodoo culture. I hope you have more on this.
So, if it wasn’t entirely clear, what’s the etymology of gangbusters, when referencing something that is cool, awesome, neat.
You know what, I have a word suggestion. I’ve been trying to revive the word gangbusters in reference to something cool.
I also attempt to resurrect other words as well. Jive talk is woefully underused, so I try and spice my conversations with words like kopasetic, or cop a squat, can I cop a dollar from you, etc.
http://www.cabcalloway.cc/jive_dictionary.htm
I have a words request. the words are:
new year
silky
In fact, just because I may have a touch of OCPD, I think I’ll repost the whole thing…with no further ado:
Hey Marina!
My name is Jonathan and I am a new student, having just discovered the website two days ago. I admire what you’re doing. I finally made it out of grad school and have found a way to be a student yet again.
I think it’s gangbusters that there is someone making philology and etymology intellectually arousing.
One of the lessons I viewed was on raccoons. While trawling through all the comments I saw you mention that you wanted to do a lesson on the word cheapskate, but couldn’t find the etymology for skate.
Well, being a biologist, I had my own ideas and posted a supposition in the forums.
You can find it here
….If you need a TA, I do have TA experience…. teaching Biology 210 and 211 labs…. does that count?
Also, I’m an excellent researcher. After all, I have tons of experience pouring through documents. I know exactly where and how to search for citations. Just sayin’ …… my thesis had 52 citations….. that’s a lot for a thesis in the biological sciences
…. I have access to peer reviewed journals…. 
eh? eh?
Anyway, I’m happy to be a part of the site.
And most of my posts end up being this long…. sorry…
Corvus_moneduloides…Hope you enjoy it…The Capital of the Republic of Lexicon
capacious…Etymologia…warning,no crying for MAMA
mine is waaaaaay down at the bottom….
Whoops…. wrong reply button…
Hello my sweet friend Marina,Goodnights!
nut house
loony bin
coo coo nest
insane asylum
funny farm
“Nut-House”
“Looney-Bin”
“Funny-Farm”
I remember that movie.
hi marina can you explain the origin of the word candy please?
i hav a words request. the words are:
1) Chihuahua
2) English
i wanted to know its origin especially chihuahua. i wonder why it is called by dat name…
tq,
ur obedient student
The origin of the word “SEX”?
madhouse, Cuckoo farm, booby hatch, bughouse,nuthouse, or as I like to call it HOME
Asslem? How would you define an insane “asslem?”
Proposed definition: asslem, an individual that suffers from
dedlam of the mind.
GOODDAY,MARINA;MY REQUEST IS THE WORD PHANTOM.I DON’T KNOW WHERE THIS ORIGINATED.I’VE SEARCHED BUT NO LUCK.I LOVE YOUR LESSONS ,HOPEFULLY YOUR ATTRACTING THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD TOO.SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH OUT THE WORLD,NOT CARING ABOUT SCHOOL THESE DAYS.WITHOUT SCHOOL THEY CAN’T LEARN.I HOPE YOUR HOT FOR WORDS IS GETTING THROUGH MORE THAN MYSPACE.
Marina: I know the names of a lot of insane ass lems.
Asslem? How would you define an insane “asslem?”
Proposed definition: asslem, an individual that suffers from
dedlam of the mind.
Note: I intended this to be a response to your comment; but,
it some how ended up as a new comment above?
Fine!
You know how some people wake up and go to the bathroom and look in the mirror and ask themselves how are you doing?
Well, when I wake up, first thing I do is turn on a specific HFW video and ask how I’m doing. HotForWords, always comes back with “Fine!”
Really, check it out at 0:26
http://www.hotforwords.com/2007/08/13/womens-dictionary/
Fine
.
* link directly to a specific time in YouTube videos.
Append this to the end of a YT video URL:“#t=2m20s”
(this won’t work for the HFW videos, only the YT version)
i have a slight suspicion they are all the same person
Wow! Four requests for “fine”, all within five minutes of each other
suicide, Tom12, nanOtube and dragonfighter21
Then there’s elle and nathan19…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6… Is that it?
It’s not a new record, but it fills the bandwagon
ok, FINE!
I seventh that
Good Morning Che Volay and Cufan71
and Cha Cha and bsomebody and Chemikal
and everyone else.
Howdy! One look at the overnights shows a lot
of folks have been consuming SUGAR over the
Holidays… LOL! Some take it better than others.
Why do all sugar substitutes have an aftertaste?
Are food scientists so lame they think people
won’t notice?
Requesting the phrase : “to kick the bucket“
I’d like to know exactly where it came from, and in this potential lesson you could also refer to “the bucket list”. Or since it has many theories to it’s origin, you could make a word game out of it.
Haven’t had one of those in a while
One theory is that people who hung themselves in ye olden days (when door threshholds actually kept thresh inside the hovel) would literally, kick the bucket they were standing on.
Very good, so that would spell out clearly suicide. But today it means death by any and all causes. Of course it’s not a sympathetic expression, it’s just folk, I’d say.
would also like to know more about the word “dog”
Guff Guff
Did anyone ever find out where the asylum starts and ends? I just want to make sure I’m not straddling the line.
The other day I overheard a distinguished gentleman in town ask the director of the local asylum what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.
I heard the director say, “we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.”
The distinguished gentleman proudly proclaimed; “A normal person would use the bucket because it’s bigger than the spoon or the teacup.”
The director gleefully exclaimed wringing his hands; “A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?”
Phew!! Glad that wasn’t me asking dumb question and answering them.
I have always felt that the line was simply on the majority. We are outside the fence just because we outnumber those inside the fence.
Hey bsomebody, speaking of that fence.
The other day I was walking past that fence and I heard the minority behind the fence yelling, “Thirteen!, Thirteen!”.
I couldn’t help but wonder what was up, so I frantically searched for a hole in the fence to peer inside to see what was up.
Just then, someone poked me in the eye, and I heard everyone in the asylum yelling, “Fourteen!, Fourteen!”
I guess, I was on the wrong side of the fence again.
Good Morning Mr. PK
A man was driving home late one very dark and stormy night when he ran over an obstacle in the road and punctured a tire.
As he rolled to a halt, he noticed that he’d come to rest outside an insane asylum, and was filled with trepidation at the thought of having to change the wheel where he might be accosted by lunatics.
Nevertheless, he got out of the car and busied himself changing the wheel as quickly as possible. He had just removed the punctured wheel and carefully placed the wheel nuts in the upturned hub cap, when a voice behind him made him jump out of his skin. In doing so, he dropped the wheel which landed on the hub cap, and the wheel nuts rolled out and disappeared into a drain.
He turned angrily to the man behind the asylum fence and, after cursing him roundly, asked what he was now supposed to do in his predicament.
The inmate calmly suggested that he remove one wheel nut from each of the other wheels to use on the replaced wheel; if he then drove carefully, he would be able to get home and the next day he could buy a new set of wheel nuts to replace the lost ones.
Well, the driver was totally taken aback by the wisdom of the inmates solution. “Why” he asked “was such an astute man residing in an insane asylum?”
“I may be crazy,” replied the patient, “but I ain’t stupid.”
Tey are completly right! I would also like to know more about the word “fine”
It would be very nice if you cold explain me the word “fine”
Thank you very much for all your work
Requesting the word “fine”.
It would be very nice to tell me the origin of this word
it would be very interresting to know the origin of the word “fine”
Thanks a lot
Hey Marina,
As Captain Jack said, it’s good to see Gorby up and wreaking bedlam, especially after his recent illness.
As for my homework, I think that by now all the synonyms for “insane asylum.” Although, I don’t think anyone’s mentioned one of the most widespread asylums of them all: high school. For me at least, it was a total madhouse. I like to tell myself that I was sane and it was everyone else there who was crazy.
so why hobbes and not calvin?
I guess I just identify more with him.
Hi Marina!
Can you find out the origin of the word “wrath”
Please check it
you have a unique adorable dog
mental health center,behavioral health hospital,nervous hospital,
madhouse,your neighbor’s house,nuthouse,funny farm,state hospital,
recovery center,brain trust,where you go when no one else will listen,
family reunion,home
Recently I have found it beneficial to view the current lesson just before retiring. It encourages certain pleasant dreams in which M is laughing, giggling and generally in good spirits. Frolicking ensues.
{CK, dreaming, uses his best W.C. Fields voice:} “Ah, hello my little bed lamb. Now, now, my dear, there is no need for firearms.”
Congress
I just prefer to call it Home Sweet Home . I am only halfway
kiddingjoshing (actually, only about a quarter.)Gorby!!!! Your such an awesome dog! You go a head and make the best Bedlam a dog could make. If your mommy give you any guff just tell her your doing your job and keep on building that Bedlam.
Marina, Great outtake there. I needed at good laugh. I wish I could do bloopers like that. You have any good tips? Maybe I should get some rental lips?
Hi Marina! I’m hoping you can find out the origin of the word “fine”. How can it mean good AND a fee or penalty? Receiving a fine definitely isn’t fine. Thanks.
That’s a really good request, Elle. I second that.
And, of course, it means the opposite of coarse.
Another word for insane asylum: family!
Everyone’s family is a bit crazy =)
Word Request: Nerf. I know its a company but how did they come up with the name? And its a huge word in the video game community with antonym “Buff”. Does it have other meanings I don’t know about, or is it just something random?!
The chargers just beat the broncos today and San Diego is going wild! Hope to see you playing with some nerf stuff in your next vid,
Seth
Good Night for a while
huh Bethlehem = House of Bread (perhaps a ginger bread house) with the strong connotation of House Of Battle.
House of Battle could this be where bedlam possible originates as A place or situation of noisy uproar and confusion. As in battle a poorly ran mental institute it could possible be a situation of noisy uproar and confusion?
Was that a slip of the tongue there at the end of the video?
.
It is my personal belief that you have to go crazy from time to time to keep from going totally insane!
Hi Marina,
Thank You for explaining the meaning of the word, Bedlam…
I Really live in Bethlehem – Palestinian Occupied territories.. And i was surprised by the fact that bethlehem was the origin of the word that means CHAOS!!!
But thank you very much, and by the way, you are really hot with those dresses, do you own a thousand dresses in you closet?
incredibly, You are beautiful!!
Well. as a good student, i want to request a word from you that has a really nice meaning…
I was wondering about the origin of the Word “Potion” ….. where did the word come from and what does it have to do with Magic and healing?
Thanks Marina, Have a good Day.
Yours, Ahmad Abu Limon,,, Bethlehem
La casa del wackos, fruit bin, luney bin, nut house,and several that end in suffix tourium …ect, Bedlam was the name of a metal band from a trailer park(of course) back in VT.
You should do the word “sex” i wanna know how that word was decided to represent what it represents.
thanks for the lesson… word I am looking for is gunge. Can you help me out. Thank you you are gorgouse
The only thing I know about gunge is it is similer to slime, which is fun to watch, but never understood the origen of eitherword. HotForwords think you could come up with the origens behind both?
i would please like to know the origin of the word cumquat. please if you don’t mind. thank you very much.
-sprink
You mean kumquat.
Line up, time for medication open wide for some Thorazine
Sleep tight
The Thorazine Queen! How could I forget Her!!
Nut Hut;rubber room;Wack Shack;Shrink Tank;The White House;Parliment;Congress;Senate,Courthouse;Crowbar Hotel;Lithium Lounge;Benzo Bed n Breakfast;Sodium Pentohouse;Valium Chalet;Slap-happy Strap down;Loony Bin;Lockdown Lane;Amytryptelene Alley;Druggie Dormitory;Greenie’s Goon Garden,Hillcrest Hell Home;
I visited a friend that was comitted to MHI but able or roam the buildings,took Me on a tour during the visit,underneath and connecting the buildings were hallways wich still had shackles on the walls in some cells,also got to view the long unused lyme pit room where they,in the distant past,had disposed of the dead unclaimed imates/residents. Freaky shit if Ya ask Me… So on My way out,I cranked up the old pontiac 389 and spun some donughnuts in the parking lot before racing away!
“Bedlam” makes for a great movie premise. Has anybody asked if that’s Marina’s room as a youngster?
University
Miss Marina,
I am digging into the origin of the word CHARADE, can you help me?
Your lessons rocks,.. my universe..
chanks! (cheers and thanks’)
chanks! (cheers and thanks’)
Did you create the word “Chanks”?
hahah.. no patent on that yet
Is Fruit Good or Bad? Nutrition by Natalie
Nuthouse, Looney Bin, Sanitarium, Mental Hospital, Funny Farm, Psychiatric Ward
Hi Marina!
I was wondering on the origin of the word “kindred” since I often seen it referencing vampires but dont think that it has anything to do with them seeing as “next of kin” would mean your child
Tanjung Rambutan
slang for asylum in Malay ==
@Marina
Noticing a curious trend in regards to my video reply to ‘chinchilla’:
Submitted as a video response, has yet to appear as such (probably some error on my part)
Demographics reveal 100% of the viewers are male, aged 45-64. 0% female viewers, indicating to me that the target audience (YOU, a female) has been missed entirely. I know you’re busy, but can I get an acknowledgement that you’ve actually seen it, whether you make a vid is entirely up to you. I only wish confirmation that you are aware of the request, whether you are up to the challenge or not.
Nicely put, I hope she does see it, it’s quite original
)
But one error needs to be rectified! (haha, I said “rectified”, what an oddly built word
Demographics also show at least one age 20 user, namely OkNowImWatching, aka Chemikal!
精神病院 in Japanese.
Its the same for Chinese too !!
Sumimasen, wakarimasen. Kore wa, nan desu ka?
It’s the same in any language: replacement character replacement character replacement character replacement character.
so many minions a new. chacha still chacha. but so are the rest of the guys….you too cAPJACK.
Marina,
You ever go to Las Vegas?
All your students would realy like to see you.
If you are looking to buy a Condo here in Vegas..
I would be honored to show you something, and make an offer.
http://www.RolandBuckles.com
No, no, she’s supposed to make the offer. If you make an offer, you might get your faced slapped.
You guys in LV are lucky in that your online assessors parcel map shows all the property owners. It’s fun seeing how much land on the strip is owned by Harrah’s. We in CA have this law that no governmental Website can reveal the parcels owned by certain elected officials (big wigs). In Sacto county, rather than simply leave those names off the online map, they have chosen to omit all the names. Brilliant! But even more “briallianter” is El Dorado county to the east, which has chosen to conform to the law by revealing all parcels and who owns them and not telling where the parcels are located! This means that, unless the law is repealed, they have blown it in perpetuity and can never have an online parcel map. (I suppose they could have one with no parcel numbers on it, but that would be like a U.S. map with no city or state names on it: uselesss.) By comparison, Sacto county is run by geniuses!
How about “Cookoo’s nest”
word request three dog night…winter in Wisconsin is damp with chill and snow and its not the band Three Dog Night Shambala
<
Peter Gabriel 1978 LIVE – “Lamb lies down on Broadway”
This leads to madness
Iris & Uriah Heep – Lady In Black 
Am I Going Insane fine video
Uriah Heep did some fine stuff. What was the one about the wizard?
.
It was …..
Now wait for it …..
Here it comes …..
“The Wizard” from the 1972 Demons and Wizards album.
Yeah,thats it. I miss old Heep sometimes,,TY guys!
hey marina, does “live and evil” and “lived and devil”, the semordnilaps have any connection?
******THAT IS A GOOD REQUEST*********
I have wondered that myself
hi
could u do the word swift for me?
thanksXD
Yes, but not right away.
Hi Marina,
Please do the phrase “monetary disorder” since we seem to have this condition in our world now?
I just now found your site and you are truly an inspiration to the vocabulary
Is Gorby a Maltese/Bichon?
Happy Holidays!
Mike
***WORD REQUEST: Greek letters***
How about the history of some words & phrases using Greek letters? E.g.:
Alpha bet
Alpha and omega, the first and last
Gamma rays
River delta
Not an iota
Eta piece of pi
Idea: Alpha male: A lot of bull?
Trace the “Alpha” symbol back to the Phoenician symbol for “ox.”
So Oxnard was the first “nard” in California?
From Bedlam to Mayhem… by Recycle-Logical 1 and contributors.
It was a dark and steamy night until the crack of dawn. When the sun broke through the dewy grass… empty beer bottles and cigarette butts littered the…? (somebody go next!)
…crime scene. The bodies lie in disarray as though they had been all dancing wildly at the moment of their deaths. Detective Sergeant Chacha, standing somewhat upslope from the carnage, surveyed the gruesome panorama; he felt it was good practice to take in the sweep of the scene before becoming mired in the minutia that the CSIs below were now busily marking and photographing, their cameras clicking and whining between shots. CSI Pedantickarl took a step back from one body to better frame it. He let out a loud whoop as his feet slipped out from under him and crashed backwards into the grass. “Holy crap!,” he cried out as he realized he had landed on…
ALWAYS REPLY TO RL1′S ORIGINAL POST, ABOVE. DON’T SCREW IT UP.
… a dead vulture. CSI Pedantickarl quickly realized this was well beyond the ordinary. This had X-files written all over it. How could it be that this carnivorous bird… be apart of the plethora of victims. Reminding himself of an old reconnaissance buddy from his days in Vietnam, he pulled out his cell phone to…
REMEMBER TO USE REPLY BUTTON FROM ORIGINAL RL1 POST
look up the number of ” Eagle eye ” stokesjrj1 his # 1 scout & sharpshooter
from back in the bush during those…
ALWAYS REPLY TO RL1′S ORIGINAL POST< ABOVE , DON’T SCREW IT
oh up 
What is the origin of the word “hickey”. You know, that red blotch you get when your neck is sucked on.
thanks, Jack
And include why a hickey is both a metal piece an electrician uses to hang a light fixture from an electrical box and a long tool he uses to bend EMT conduit.
.
WORD REQUEST: flatulence
or
to break wind
or
fart
Thank you my dear teacher!
hi marina, one word that has always puzzled me is the word sudden. as in “all of the sudden”, or “don’t make any sudden movements”. i was wondering if you could investigate this word for me. thanks!
-JeffxMorrison
HI Marina could you please do the word ODYSSEY
Marina, Hi awesome!
So, I got a “B” in a creative writing class for making up my own
word(s); evil, pure evil. You could (or should?) … in the
name of word crafters everywhere … create a blog for people
that invent their own words.
Here’s mine: “groading”
Meaning: To watch in anticipation so intently that you
salivate or groan or exhale.
Note: It’s a mix between the word “groping” and
“groaning” but applied to the act of visual
anticipation;
Example: “My dog is groading.” This would be used to explain
that … as the owner was eating his steak dinner
the dog watched with anticipation so intently that
he salivated.
It also applies to teenage boys watching women at
the beach in bikinis; and from
time to time … me learning a new word by watching
you explain it; but, perhaps that was too much
information? Honest though. So … what do you
think?
Hurights, I think you’d be curious to see our teacher perform a strip-tease in one of her lessons. Or at least a quick bikini beach dance.
Yeah, I know that feeling of uncompleteness, of unfinished, partial work… But we must ponder that there are little kids under 18 around here. We must respect them my friend. And we must respect good honest traditional elizabethan-minded people too. Plus I’m not sure the teacher would agree to show more than she’s already showing in front of all of us.
Strip Tease? No … you have mistaken playfulness with
misguided intentions. Read it again … this time keep
your puritan perversions off my writing. Just calm
down; nothing I wrote is improper for the general
public.
My comments were about getting a “B” in a creative
writing class for using the word “groading;” and nothing
more or less.
Hurights I got what you said the first reading, your word is a good word go put it in the urban dictionary.
I once made up a similar word called ‘opsisarticulate’ it is like talking with your eyes, to express yourself with facial emotion, similar to the emoticons.
Keep up the good work, someday that teacher will regret giving you a ‘B’
Thank you; I had a 4.00 gpa until using the word
“groading” to explain my dogs behavior when
watching me eat. But, I can live with a 3.98 gpa;
that said, I’ll also petition the University to correct
the problem … I definition(s) at the back of
the creative writing paper for the words I created.
I just figured that “creative writing” should be allowed
to be creative; seems logical and harmless.
Ooooh! Puritan.. Yes, that was the word I was looking for.
But.. Are you implying that puritan are perverts? If so, why so?
I think I understand your point now. You get a stronger mental excitation when you learn a new word than a teenage boy watching girls in bikinis? Is that so?
The phrase “puritan perversion” relates to the twisting
of intentions during the Inquisition to justify morbid
punishments in the name of God. A woman kissing a
female friend was interpreted as a lesbian act (“an
abomination” in Biblical terms) and she was stoned
to death for it (a reference to the history behind
your phrase “elizabethan-minded people” … in
case you didn’t understand that yourself).
Now … you see … your behavior is much the same;
you’ve taken a playful writing and you’re twisting it
to feed your own sick mind; and you’re acting
publicly in this forum to get a type of
social retaliation or punishment to befall me.
You’re a sick mind; people like you are a threat to
the peacefulness of humanity. The Taliban and the
Inquisition mindsets (ie “elizabethan-minded
people”) all involve punishing people for
being people.
I was explaining the scope that the word “groading”
could be applied in language … and to invite Marina
to add a Lexicraftologist forum to her web site; you
know … expanding an idea in a creative way!?
You do understand that people can be creative without
being perverted … right? Are you following this?
I’ll write it with a crayon if it will help you
understand.
hmmm… That is a very interesting lecture indeed.
Inquisition? Morbid punishment? Lesbian act? Taliban? Sick mind? Stoned to death? Abomination? Threat to the peacefulness of humanity?
Well Hurights, I am not quite sure I can understand everything.. But I do think it is a very interesting lecture indeed.
And yes, I absolutely do understand that people can be creative without being perverted.
If I may be so bold, I’ll first say that I think both of you misread each others’ posts and got a wrong impression about one another.
And now own to my own pithy remarks:
Neuroway, when you said “Elizabethan-minded” people, I took it as meaning people who abhor any reference to or acknowledgement of sexuality in public. Well, shouldn’t your term have been “Victorian-minded” people? I believe it was the Victorian Era that was notorious for sexual repression. To anyone reading this, correct me if I’m wrong.
And Hurights, you said “Puritan perversion” related to the “twisting of intentions during the Inquisition to justify morbid punishments in the name of God.” But that doesn’t really work: the Puritans had nothing to do with the Inquisition. The Inquisition happened in the Old World, whereas the Puritans were off commiting their own atrocities in the name of God in the colonies in America.
Nathan,
Your remarks are not pithy. And I think they deserve an answer. To be honest, I don’t know the difference between Elizabethan, Victorian or Puritan. For me it’s all the same. Crass lack of interest? Perhaps. Now, from what I just said, what you think I think and what I think you think are pure personal interpretations. We just have no way to know precisely. You have no way to know if I’m a liar or not. And there’s not much we can do about it, as we lack or partially lack that 6th sense to be able to precisely know each other, no matter how sneaky we get or how low we go in order to find out.
The world needs more creative people like you.
On a side note, when you challenge your professors at the university don’t take no for an answer. Keep going up a level on the hierarchy until you find someone who will take up your cause. This is how I found the system to work.
Take care,
Che
Che encourages the concept of free and creative thinkingthe hfw environment offers a perfect opportunity to observe the behaviors of aggressive human males as they attempt to establish a hierarchy of status using text based displays of dominance.
…truth that buzz
Erm.. Yeah, that’s absolutely right.. I’d even escalate your post to another level. Replacing words by money…
“The world environment offers a perfect opportunity to observe the behaviours of aggressive humans as they attempt to establish a hierarchy of status using money based displays of dominance.”
definitely, yes.
check this article out.
Thanks Buzzword. Interesting one. It’s a change from Schopenhauer’s Metaphysics of love between sexes.
Aw, come on now, buzz, just because I’ve attempted to exhibit my knowledge of Russian, Spanish, Welsh, Japanese, Dutch, Greek, French, Bulgarian, and Chinook Jargon in front of a gorgeous linguistics professor, doesn’t mean I’m trying to make some text-based display of dominance!
oh no! my apologies. i didn’t intend to implicate you in my statement. not at all. thanks for providing that impressive list of languages you use… again.
I think it’s outrageous to insinuate that we try to impress Marina here. What, you think we’re so desperate that we try to boast about and exaggerate our lives and accomplishments in hopes of attracting Marina’s interest? Ludicrous. It’s like what I was telling my good friend Barack Obama the other day…”Barry,” I said to him, “I may have climbed Mt. Everest three times in the past eight years, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to go about flaunting that fact in front of women. And bother the fact that my assets in all total a cool 34 million. I just want to be able to pursue my own interests, like studying philology.”
lol
simply a bunch of peacocks…
Well, you can choose to do that…
or just just have a good time
learning word origins. It’s all
up to you, I guess
Since INTELLIGENCE is sexy…
What is intelligence?
.
Well, if that ain’t the pot calling the kettle black!
Does your observation include the use of a mirror, Buzz?
i thought that was covered by “drool”…
Douglas Adams invented the word “floopily” to
describe how a mattress moves across a meadow
in his book “So Long and Thanks for all the Fish”
The best trilogy ever . way 2
Bacillary! Please choose mine, I am a very curious person and wish i knew that word. I think your job is so cool! I love your video’s! Bye! From, DeannaRockz.
Marina,
PLEASE research the origin of the word “quietus”.
Quietus est: Discharged of an obligation, at rest. Latin roots most likely.
- My lands are where my dead lie buried. Crazy Horse
It would be nice if they had the funding to complete that sculpture.
The inmates are running the asylum.
Yep,and Freddy Kruger is the bastard son of 100 maniacs. I wasn’t about to take take sloppy 2nds that day,just call Me “Dad”.
Дорогая Марина Орлова, Today, “bedlam” refers to an unsightly mess such as Gorby made with his toys. You keep such a nice, clean house, you probably can pick up Gorby’s mess in less than five minutes!
Today “bedlam” is seldom used to describe an insane asylum. In California, these were called state mental hospitals. The last one was in Camarillo and it was closed in 1997. Now, each County has a mental health clinic to handle patients, usually on an outpatient basis. Some need to treat such patients better.
До следующего времени. seesixcm6
Hi, I want to know something about the word “toilet”.
It’s a word of daily usage, but I have no idea what its origin could be.
Hello Marina, Good to see Gorby back to normal.
When someone is as “crazy as a bedbug” or more PC- has dementia, they may find a room at the “almshouse”
The Internet is bedlam.
Almshouses were and are poorhouses. Nothing to do with today’s lesson.
I should have looked it up before I commented. I remembered it from long ago and I thought that it fit. Thanks for the correction.
No problem. That will be a dollar twenty five, broken down as follows:
1. Wear and tear on the mouse: 2 cents
2. Wear and tear on the keyboard: 2 cents
3. Wear and tear on the CPU fans: 3 cents
4. Wear and tear on the harddrive: 1 cents
5. Anti-virus techniques to reverse infections obtained while clicking on HFW participant’s links: 6 cents
6. Rent and building utilities: 11 cents
7. Tip to make the neighborhood whore go away: $1.00
Only a $1.00?
Sounds like Oakland.
Ha ha, think about how much more money you could have made in the time it took you to come up with and type out that price breakdown, CampKohler.
No, no, you don’t understand. It was to make her go away; sort of unemployment compensation.
Ah, my mistake.
.
Warren I wouldn’t be so quick to be put down by old CampKohler there because I for one take exception to his position.
Almshouses were indeed ‘poorhouses’ but they also had a lot to do with todays lesson because the Almshouses along with jails housed the mentally ill and insane before the early efforts of Dorothea Dix (1841-1861 – she was the most effective advocate of humanitarian reform in American mental institutions during the nineteenth century) came to fruition beginning in 1881 with the opening of many, many hospitals and institutions exclusively for the mentally ill.
Asylum was also a shortening, much like bedlam. A hospital for the mentally ill was started in Northern England by Abraham Symon Lumm, a physician who was appalled by the mental hospitals of the time and wanted to improve care. The doctor was not fond of his first name, so, on it’s letter head, the facility was listed as A. Sy. Lumm’s Hospital. In time this was shortened by the locals to asylum, which came to refer to any looney bin.
After long study, Dr. Lumm found that the chemicals in all the tree seeds that he could obtain had a beneficial calming effect on his patients. The diet in his hospital therefore included generous servings of walnuts, almonds, pecans and so forth. This fact was widely known, as he made large, regular purchases from the local growers. In time, being admitted into his hospital was called, “going nuts.”
It’s true, I tell you.
The fun loving ones “squirelled-away” their nut stash so they could eat them all at onece and get reeeal mellow. Maybe even made “peakin pie”!
Sanitarium, psychopathic hospital, (as in Boston Psychopathic Hospital), booby hatch, looney bin, (From lunatic. Taken from the Latin luna, meaning the moon, as it was once thought that the full moon could drive people crazy. This explains why early lunatic assylums were dark inside, to prevent the insane from seeing the full moon.), and funny farm.
Interesting factoid: While covered bridges are quaint and visually appealing, there was a good reason for their structure. The rooves were there to protect the wooden road beds from being exposed to the weather, thus preventing them from rotting away.
Happy New Year to everyone!
Eric M
Before swallowing your post whole… uh, let me rephrase that. Before accepting your msg as it stands, readers should enjoy this pertinant banter.
It should be noted that the superstructure of covered bridges, would, over time, indeed rot away if not maintained properly. The roadbed and its supports, which was the most substantial and difficult-to-replace part of the bridge, would be preserved by the sacrificial and more-cheaply-maintained roof. Save the roof, which was meerly pitched on top, the superstructure often comprised the load-bearing members of the bridges in these drawings. From pictures held in the mind, one thinks of the sides as a flimsy support for the roof, but they can be seen to be as important as any other members. This would not be the case in bridges whose entire support was from uprights or piers resting on the ground; those superstructures need only be strong enough to support the weight of the roof and survive the weather.
Personally, I enjoy seeing a good fording in a swift-moving stream carrying a heavy snow melt. The swirling of the wagons out of control, the screaming of the passengers hanging on for dear life, the wild-eyed look of the livestock, the odd child or pet bobbing in the freezing water… Ah, the adventure of it all.
You are a straaaange boy.
roofs is
Ummm…
roof’s (possessive singular noun
- take note of the apostrophe),
.
rooves (plural noun)
His usage appears correct
.
Had he said “Their” (possessive pronoun) instead of “The”,
then roof’s would be correct. Then the sentence would read
Their roof’s were there… which is awkward.
dictionary.com not a single rooves in the definition of roof, plural or otherwise. even spell check returns the spelkling of rooves to roofs. soory to bust you out like that you beeing a suck up and all !!!
You need to get a better dictionary
Maybe Santa’s elf’s could help you with your
other problems, too. You sound like you are the
expert on sucking, so, I’m not jealous
Let me know when you get your TA application
approved, OK?
i think its always spelled in the u.s. as, “roofs” but as a result of regional dialects it is pronounced as “rooves” note this link. i know for sure that its pronounced, “rooves” in australia.
roofs is correct spelling.
Where is that confounded bridge
Without clicking the link I bet it goes to a Zep song.
Yes, the song is Led Zep,
but not the performer.
She’s pretty good…
Eeengh,not too bad I guess,I think i’d rather kiss Her than listen tho!
Took a quick look for Zep’s Hangman but didn’t find it,IMO it is their best ever mello song.
Old Zep is My fav band,but,they don’t do My fav song,that is by Judas Priest,,,Victim of Changes,,,starts out mello then rocks Yer brain pan right out onto the floor!
She was swingin’ on the Gallowman’s pole
I’d like to learn the origins of the word “bum”.
In America it’s normally someones who’s down on their luck, such as a homeless person. In England and many other parts of the world, it’s a persons rear end.
What are the origins for each usage?
Homework: I am not schizophrenic and so am I
Wow – the guys covered all the best answers only leaving
the very “PC” answer, Psychiatric Health Care Facility.
When Ozzy gets Paranoid, he rides the Crazy Train.
They put the prison crazies in the “Rubber Room”, so’s they can’t hurt themselves
Hey Cha Cha, those are some awesome classic Ozzy vids. Great stuff.
You’re never alone with schizophrenia. LOL
Neurotics build castles in the sky.
Psychotics live in them.
Psychiatrists collect the rent. – Author unkown, (to me, anyway.)
Eric M
This is a fallacy, as psychiatrists build castles on earth.
Homework: Here we call it Dorthea Dix or crazy house, mental institution, funny farm and loony bin.
Hmmm…Dorothea Dix was a pioneer in the reform of mental institutions…almost blasphemous to call one by her name, i’d think…
http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/dorotheadix.html
Dear Marina,
When I think of an asylum or sanitarium I am reminded of the great Ken Kesey novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (also an amazing movie). Did you know that the director, Milos Forman, considered the asylum in that story to be a metaphor for the Soviet Union under communism? I also think of the tragic life of the wonderful actress, Frances Farmer. I consider our limited understanding of mental disorders, even today, and the awful treatment, even though well intentioned, many have received in these places.
Thanks for another good lesson. Cheers, Q
Oh you have to check this out,
Marina and Stacy Ferguson together!
She’s my sister!!! Damnit!! I can’t believe you found her!!!
Holy crap that’s amazing.
Without sounding too cliche… or leading to bedlam… I think you are just pulling our leg(s).
Definitely Joshing us
Are you having a Daft Day?
Isn’t it time for a new lesson? its at #19
I’m with runawayscott on that one!
blank page
how about “friverlous”
Definition: Without, or not having a, river-type Pokemon called the frivver.
The Friver runs through it
Yes you do really look lushous my dear Teacher
for homework: the Rubber
your future pet B.B. 
Room
Here is another Bethlehem related clip that is pretty nuts.
Give word! (As if you didn’t every day).
Hi HFW fans:
Apropos of nothing (except maybe that Bulgarian is related to Russian), here is a beautiful song I’d like to share with y’all:
The Mystery Of Bulgarian Voices – Moma Nedelio
Oh, I know now: beautiful music helps keep us out of the nuthouse!
Mnogo khubavo pesen!
hi can you tell me what onipitant means please sexy
xxxx
Omnipotent?
It means your VOR is working.
Omnipotent, if Evan is right and that’s the word you’re going for, means “all-powerful.”
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
I remember watching this movie in my English class back in high school.
I think marina should set the site to bedlam
All the links go to the wrong pages
the comments go where they want
and the smilies just flake out and sit everywhere
I second that James
Lets see how much trouble YOU can get into 
B.B.
Seen the forums lately? LOL
(just kidding – lotsa fun going on there)
Dear Miss Marina Orlova,
How about Human Society?
YS,
TOF
PS You look so stunning in blue! *drops dead* You’re Gorgeous!!!
Anyone remember that song about the funny farm and taking me away? Ha, Ha. I think that song was even banned at one time.
Napoleon XIV: ‘They’re coming to take me away’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnzHtm1jhL4
There is another version by Dr. Demento also.
Oh, and an edit:
That Napolean guy also has a song about Bedlam
Marching Off To Bedlam – Napoleon XIV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C63HnJT620
Good ones pedantic karl…you beat me to it
I love the first song.
Never knew about the second. Thanks for sharing
That’s the first I heard of “They’re coming to take me away” in its entirety.
I thought that song was during my hayday PK. You are showing your age even though you don’t look it. hahahehe
Congratulations on your elevation to TA!! That’s so great! I also was a huge fan of Dr. Demento years ago when I lived in Sothern California. Is he still on the air?
Cheers, Q
Hi quiggles,
I didn’t learn about Dr Demento many years after he started. From this wiki, it looks like he is still on the air, but doesn’t have the following he once did. There are some interesting things in that wiki. Check it out here.
Dr. Demento
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Demento
I use to listen to the Dr. when I was in college.
Sunday nights right after a show called Flashback
Hey Karl, congratulations on becoming a TA.
Thank you nathan19, I appreciate it.
Hi, I’M IN BRAZIL, RIO DE JANEIRO. VERY GOOD VIDEOS.
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
We would be happy for you to put your location in your name by following these steps:
1. Click
Dashboardat the top of the page2. Click
Profile3. In
Nicknamere-type your name, a hyphen andRio De Janeiro, Brazil4. Click
Update Profile5. From the
Display name publicly asmenu, choose your new nickname with the city in it.6. Click
Update ProfileNow everyone will always know where you are.
who is the “we” you refer to? people usually use the term, “we” to convey the impression of additional support to their statements. when in fact the statement originates from one single individual. when you use the term, “we” it seems to imply that you represent a consensus, the t.a.’s or marina. which you don’t.
Maybe it’s representative of plural identities.
hey! how has your break been? did you have a good quarter?
Hey
we’rehappy to see that you’re good enough to come around here… cheers to you deadman.Welcome long time no see
Who are you..? Alex???
Camp is doing overkill (that means “too much,” if portugues is your first language.) In the US, “I’m in Rio” is usually understood to mean Rio de Janeiro.
I don’t know, Evan. Maybe Nilton is just aware that Americans’ knowledge of geography keeps getting exponentially worse.
Point taken.
Hi Marina!
I was wondering.. where does the word apartheid come from?
I know apartheid is actually a dutch word ( I’m dutch )
So why use the english it aswell?
The Dutch gave us the words “hand, foot, eat, drink, bread, water…” why not apartheid?
first off all, some of those words are not exactly the same as in dutch. second, those are words you use every day apartheid isn’t used that much. and third, who sais all those words you named are from the dutch?
Just wondering
1. hand, voet, eten, trinken, brood, water…ja? Close enough for an English to understand.
2. “Apartheid” in South Africa resembled what we used to call “segregation” (of Afro-Americans) in the US. Perhaps we now use the Afrikaans loan-word “apartheid” rather than our own “segregation”, because we don’t like to be reminded that segregation was a shameful part of our own history.
3. The Anglo-Saxon ancestors of the English came from what are now the Netherlands and northern Germany about 1500 years ago. Prior to that time, the Britons spoke Welsh. But you don’t find words like “llaw, coes, bwyta, yfed, bara, dwr” in English!
Well thank you. that answeres my question:) only it’s drinken not trinken;) ( in case you mind ) I guesse not. but if you think it’s so easy, can you translate this without a dictionary or something like that; klok, maat, vloer, straat, heup, hoofd and huis. I think you know the most, mabey you know all of them. in that case. you got my respect. haha not that that matters but you know what i mean;)
What about “Main drive bail return crank pivot pin retaining clip?” The Dutch didn’t give us that, did they? I thought not! {Snort!)
@smiffie91:
Sorry, my bad, “trinken” is Deutsch, not Dutch.
Let’s see…clock, mat?, floor, street, ?,?, house.
(Lynden, Washington State, about 16 km from my home, was founded by immigrants from the Netherlands.)
Yea, Gorby! Us dogs will have our say too. Have fun and enjoy your new bed.
Dear Teacher: Homework: Names for insane asylums: Sanitarium, Bellevue, Padded Room Hotel, Loony Bin, Crazy House, Cuckoo’s Nest, Think Tank, The US Congressional House of Representatives, The Senate of the US, The US Supreme Court, United Nations General Assembly, Security Council of the United Nations with revolving and permanent memberships. You can be proven insane but it is not possible to prove your sanity.
P.S. The Wallstreet World Wide Widgets and Discount Paper Exchange, the Asian Clearing House Mass Market and Booking Zocalo and don’t forget the European Euro Dollar Discount Emporium.
Here’s a bedlam in a nutshell.
OOOh, clever! A whole lot of “nut cases!”
Walled Nuts
…neat pic neuroway
D’oh! Visual pun…missed that, first time around!
So crack is used as a palliative treatment?
Crack? Huh? Nope. I reckon a Nutcracker seems to be used as a palliative treatment here.
***WORD REQUEST***: Welsher, and “to welsh,” as in, to renege on or fail to fulfill a promise.
Since my childhood, a word I’ve loved to hate.
(Mi egluraf fy marn, os hoffech chi glywed.) 
This is similar to an “Indian Giver”.
Is this a person that gives away Indians.
Masachie maika wawa “Siwash potlatch!”
US Congress… ( House of Representatives )!
The inner workings of Hunter S. Thompson’s mind.
Dude,
The whole ph###ing planet. (sitting in the back of the class today)
While sitting at the back of the class… you might as well…(look to bottom of page)…READ THIS!
Hi Marina,
Afterthought:
Seems like most of your reply comments on the past few videos have dealt with website technicalities. But while it’s a lot of fun trading banter, witticisms, and erudition with the fellows, it really does add an extra frisson when you join in, sort of like a comment or kudos from a favorite teacher on a research paper.
Evan
Or from a dynamite broad with great gams, caboose, knockers, peepers and kisser. Forget the research paper.
The music makes me nostalgic for the Guess the Word Game. Of course those games turned these comment posts into sheer BEDLAM. ha ha!
Homework: Nut house, crazy house… my house.
In additon to those already listed below I always liked ‘Flake Factory’.
BTW I like the bloopers at the end; please keep adding them.
I agree Orion, I miss the bloopers also. The older videos were some of the best.
Hi Marina,
I’ve been viewing your early videos, noting how much more polished you’ve become, and have to ask: Have you been a member of a Toastmasters speech club? Your progress looks like that of many speakers I’ve observed in my 15 years in our club.
Toastmasters is great preparation if you ever decide to accept the public speaking invitations like the one I sent, and which are likely coming your way. Also, if you ever want constructive feedback on your talks before you post them in a video, a TM club will provide that.
Pardon my compulsive (***WORD REQUEST***) kibitzing.
so well on this site
I like it
So mebbe I’m a shlemiel, vot you t’ink?
not a schlimeal
maybe a shmoe 
NO ( bb is shtill shtinking about that one) 
let me tink on it 
Klaperkeh is a talkative women, is this the word you are looking for?
Klaperkeh was the first astronomer to come up with the idea that the earth circled the sun.
It’s true, I tell you.
“Copernicus” just being a Latinization of the original Yiddish.
Thanks, Che. I don’t think even Rosten covered that one.
The server that hosts your skyrocketing popularity must be in bedlam right now. You just had more than 100000 views in less than 3 hours and jumped from 4th to 3rd most viewed videos. That is hot for words.
Which video are you talking about?
bedlam = posted one hour ago with 234 views
cliché = posted 1 day ago with 93,724 views
Time/Date = 2:47 PM 12/28/2008 EST
Homework:
nut house
loony bin
crazy farm
Work
Homework: YouTube, Twitter, 12seconds.tv, to name a few
why does “booby hatch” come to mind?…
funny farm, sanitorium, lunatic asylum, nut house…probably all euphemisms engendered so we could ignore the actual problems…or because we were scared of them…
hopefully that attitude is becoming antiquated…
howdy
Gorbi is sooooooooo cute… and soooo are you. P.S. How do I change this Icon that looks like a booger with legs… not cute at all.
Hi, hott4urblog, and welcome to our funny farm.
Instructions for changing your icon:
Just go to http://en.gravatar.com/site/signup/ , create an account and you will be able to upload your own picture from your computer or use any picture from the internet, to use as an icon.
Instructions are also on Marina’s “Help” page here.
Be sure to associate your gravatar with the same email address that you used to register for this site, and clear your browser cache too.
If you have any difficulties, ask again and someone is sure to help you.
Marina, Are videos going on her the instant they go on YT as well now?
Obviously the video at HFW is an embedded YT video, so it must be loaded there first to obtain a video designation that can be used in a link. Then it can take 15 mins. or so for the Webmaster/mistress/sluttrix (depending on how depraved they are) to get it embedded at HFW. One would think this would all be automated by a script — once a video file was ready, it would install the video, update the home page, update the lesson list, update the links to recent lessons, send E-mail notifications and so forth, and then test it all with one command, leaving less chance for mistakes. What could be simpler?
I like that dress.
Especially the design.
On second watching, Gorby was just answering your question.
He must have caught the word loving bug.
So then what’s the origin of Arf, Arf, Roff and Woof?
(Oh, duh me, it’s Gorby)
NUT HOUSE…the county’s playroom…insurance paradise…intelligetsia…citizens information agency…(no offence to real nuts and fruits)
Insane asylum: the YouTube comments section under Marina’s [choose your topic] video.
Marina,
I have long had an interest in the origin of idioms. One of my favorites is the expression to give someone a “cold shoulder”. One source claims that this refers to a shoulder of lamb. What do you know about this one?
CoolDude
Ah Marina,
You assume it’s your appartment.
I’ll be Gorby would argue that’s it’s all His playhouse.
And when he was barking he was saying don’t talk to that box, come play with me.
Homework:
Nut house
Funny Farm
White House (Past 8 years)
House of Representatives (Just as bad)
Senate (Them too)
naw, the “bed” in bedlam would have had to have been during the Clinton years…
oh, wait – he did his smoking in the Oval Office…
Monica = humidor?
Добро утро, ещо раз!
“…ещё раз!”…Where’s Teach when i need her??
hello
Howdy
No Response?
Ship you off to Bellview
loony bin,
madhouse,
funny farm
my house
Here’s a picture of a BedLamb
Awwww…way too cute!
Coo coo nest
{That’s Jack Nicholson behind the sunglasses }
I’m in class ….. front row center ….. fully focused and attentive!
Oh, and did I mention ….. #1!
Homework:
Bellview
Looney bin
Butner
loco location
Milledgeville
funny farm
bughouse
madhouse
cackle factory
*** Edit said I do not have permission to edit my post!
i.e. I edit my post and click save and it says I do not have permission to edit that is ..
I got that. But only when I tried hacking it. Oh, and yes, even whe I idn’t try. It worked fine for me earlier
You only have five minutes here unlike the Forum which allows one hour to edit.
Hmmmmmmmm …..
Only seemed like one to me …..
Time flies when your having fun
If you were not allowed to edit your post, how did you add
to your post?
.
It was in the ‘original’ post not added by edit …..
.
I just tried to make a new comment (top of page)
and it came out here …..
I like the cackle factory, “cackle berries” and here is buffoon
Hey Marina!
My name is Jonathan and I am a new student, having just discovered the website two days ago. I admire what you’re doing. I finally made it out of grad school and have found a way to be a student yet again.
I think it’s gangbusters that there is someone making philology and etymology intellectually arousing.
One of the lessons I viewed was on raccoons. While trawling through all the comments I saw you mention that you wanted to do a lesson on the word cheapskate, but couldn’t find the etymology for skate.
Well, being a biologist, I had my own ideas and posted a supposition in the forums. I will try and link to it using html tags and if that don’t work, then also just paste the address to the post.
You can find it here
or
http://www.hotforwords.com/forums/topic/cheapskate
….If you need a TA, I do have TA experience…. teaching Biology 210 and 211 labs…. does that count?
Also, I’m an excellent researcher. After all, I have tons of experience pouring through documents. I know exactly where and how to search for citations. Just sayin’ …… my thesis had 52 citations….. that’s a lot for a thesis in the biological sciences
…. I have access to peer reviewed journals…. 
eh? eh?
Anyway, I’m happy to be a part of the site.
And most of my posts end up being this long…. sorry…
have fun