12.17.2008

Things You Already Knew Because You Are Smarter Than Me

Teetotaler
I have always thought this word was "teatotaler" and referred to foppish male analog to a flibbertigibbet, bouncing from tea party to tea party sharing childish giggles over whispered gossip dotted with the clink of glasses.

Turns out the "tea" part is correct, but not for the reasons I thought. Teetotalism is the religious or principled refrain from all alcohol. The "T" stands for "temeperance," so the movement is actually one of "total temperance."

1 comment:

RK said...

Clearly you never had to write a paper on prohibition (I did, but I think I convinced the teacher that I should write it on organized crime which made it big during prohibition through to sale of illegal alcohol. I am so good :0))

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