QUOTE(Jon Awbrey @ Sat 10th May 2008, 3:44am)
Ha! I remember a time when some feminists at my old school protested the terminology "bachelor's degres". They didn't seem to know that the term refers to the "staff" or the "walking stick" that they give you when they hand you a sheepskin and tell you to hit the road.
Jon (IMG:
smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)
Indeed. Same root as "bacillus", a staff shaped bacterium. Not to be confused with the Staph shaped bacterium, which is round...
And an
argumentum baculinium is one put over with a bonk to the head, using said staff.
I'm reminded of once when somebody reading a tube of antibiotic wondered aloud where the name "Bacitracin" came from. "From a subtle bacillus cultured from a girl named Tracy" said I.
They didn't even smile, this was such a silly etymological suggestion. The best jokes are true.
This post has been edited by Milton Roe: