Nicole (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
trickykitty) wrote2018-11-30 09:07 pm
trickykitty) wrote2018-11-30 09:07 pm
Entry tags:
Fun with Etymology
I was curious why the skin under a fingernail is called the quick.
This forum post provides some good background, namely that the original meaning of quick was "alive".
That also explains why telling someone to "look alive" and to move "quickly" are virtually interchangeable, and not merely metaphor, although I think most people now think "look alive" means the opposite of moving like a Romero zombie.
This forum post provides some good background, namely that the original meaning of quick was "alive".
That also explains why telling someone to "look alive" and to move "quickly" are virtually interchangeable, and not merely metaphor, although I think most people now think "look alive" means the opposite of moving like a Romero zombie.