What role does the moon serve for us? Aside from the impact that creates the tidal phenomena, which is the basis for the Islamic calendar and the reason for humanity to commemorate 1969 (the first time humans walked on the moon), the moon has a significant impact on the world. English. This article will go over words and expressions relating to the moon.
Knowledge: the relationship between moon and month
First, let’s look at the term “moon”. Not unexpectedly, the term “moon” has been in use since English was established. Did you know that the words “moon” and “month” share the same German root? The word “month” originally signified a temporal measurement matching to the lunar rotation cycle. It wasn’t until later that people stopped recognizing the new moon as the beginning of a new month and began to build more structured months, eventually leading to the creation of the Gregorian calendar. (Proposed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582).
Later, the term “lunatic” arose, derived from the Latin word “luna” (moon). This derivative, which originated in Middle English, is etymologically based on the concept that shifts in the moon caused madness.
And if you have a penchant of searching the dictionary for slightly nasty words, you could be wondering how to use “moon” to imply “buttocks,” or “an act of exposing the buttocks, especially as a gesture intended to shock or offend. “This concept, which was used as early as the mid-18th century, is most likely based on the assumption that the buttocks and moon have similar shapes. However, according to the current definition in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), this meaning became more widespread in the twentieth century, and the verb phrase “to expose one’s buttocks” did not appear before the 1960s. And if you have a penchant of searching the dictionary for slightly nasty words, you could be wondering how to use “moon” to imply “buttocks,” or “an act of exposing the buttocks, especially as a gesture intended to shock or offend. “This concept, which was used as early as the mid-18th century, is most likely based on the assumption that the buttocks and moon have similar shapes. However, according to the current definition in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), this meaning became more widespread in the twentieth century, and the verb phrase “to expose one’s buttocks” did not appear before the 1960s.
In the next section, let’s find out Some expressions about the moon!
What does “Once in a blue moon” refer to?
The term “once in a blue moon” refers to an extremely unusual occurrence. For instance, saying “Adam only dances once in a blue moon” does not imply that Adam dances once in a blue moon, but rather very seldom. But did you realize that this is a blend of two pre-existing expressions? The phrase “once in a blue moon” dates back at least to the 1830s, although “once in a moon” predates it by about three centuries. “Once in a blue moon” can be translated as “once a month” (for the same etymological grounds as above), although the phrase does not always signify the same thing. but only represents the concept “occasionally”.
Meanwhile, the phrase “the moon is blue” refers to something impossible, as the notion that the moon is blue is regarded ludicrous. Another form of this term is “the moon is made of green cheese”; both have been in use since the 1520s.
How did these two sayings come together? In truth, blue moons exist in astronomical calendars as “the second full moon in a calendar month,” but the term does not appear to have come into usage until more than a century after “once in a blue moon” became popularly used on a daily basis. It appears that this was just the result of two sayings about the moon being misconstrued throughout time.
What does “to shoot the moon” mean?
One can “shoot the moon”, “bolt the moon”, or “shove the moon”, but I do not recommend doing it too frequently if you wish to follow the law. This is a slang word meaning fleeing at night, often known as “doing a moonlight flit”.
The word originally occurred in Murphy Delany’s Feast in the sentence “She wish’d to gammon her landlord, and likewise bolt the moon” circa 1812. The OED lists numerous distinct applications of the word “gammon” as a verb, and only the kindest of people would believe that the girl in the line above was going to beat her landlord at backgammon by “hoax, deceive, hoodwink, trick” him.
Is “honeymoon” a “honey moon”?
The combination of “moon” and “month” appears again here, which helps explain why the period immediately following the wedding is referred to as the “honeymoon”. According to the OED dictionary, “Maybe at first this was a way of saying that love gradually fades like the waning moon”, but the interpretation that love does not last more than a month swiftly arose.
“Honeymoon” was originally used to refer to the period after a wedding, but since the late 18th century, it has come to be commonly used for the holiday of newlyweds. Many other languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, also combine the equivalents of “honey” and “moon” to form a phrase meaning “honeymoon. “
What does “cast beyond the moon” mean?
The moon is one of the closest objects to us in the universe, but we nonetheless regard it as a symbol of something remote and ludicrous. The phrase “praise above the moon” refers to giving extravagant praise, whereas “go beyond the moon” refers to traveling a significant distance. Going too far will make it difficult to keep or find, and “ask for the moon” refers to asking for something that is hard to obtain.
“Cast beyond the moon” indicates to guess without basis; this idiom differs somewhat from others. At first, I thought this expression represented the act of casting while fishing. And this is an excellent approach to be creative. However, “cast” here is the same as “forecast” – meaning “calculate or predict about the future”, which leads to the meaning of “unreasonable guess”.
“Over the moon” – I am happy
Regarding why we use the phrase “over the moon” when we are happy: in the past, people used “jump over the moon” to convey delight so tremendous that they could jump higher than the moon. This expression comes from the 16th-century children’s poetry “Hey Diddle Diddle” (the cow hopped over the moon).