Showing posts with label Mumbo Jumbo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mumbo Jumbo. Show all posts

Mar 2, 2012

Wordology

Jumbo was a large African Bush Elephant, born 1861 in the French Sudan, imported to a Paris zoo, transferred to the London Zoo in 1865, and sold in 1882 to P. T. Barnum, for the circus. The giant elephant's name is now a common word 'jumbo', meaning large in size.

Aug 19, 2011

Reduplication

Computer Cookies comes close to some familiar nonsense words that have become part of the language called reduplication, such as, heebie jeebies, okey dokey, zig zag, fuddy duddy, hocus pocus, itsy bitsy, mumbo jumbo, and more. These repeat some sound from one word and make another. Most take on their meaning from usage. I have my bling bling, but I am not trying to be hoity toity.