Random Thought of the Day

[Biker Joe]

People who are described as "ruthless"; what is this "ruth" they lack?

Similarly for "gormless" people; what exactly is "gorm"?

I won't bother with "feckless" as it will lead to multiple Fr. Jack Hackett postings.

According to merriam-webster.com, "gormless" does indeed mean "lacking in gorm", which was originally the middle-English word "gaum" or "gome", meaning "understanding, or attention".
“Ruth” was a common word in Middle English, first appearing (as “reuthe”) around the 12th century, meaning “pity or compassion,” and in the 13th century we spoke of a person who was kind, charitable, and just generally felt your pain as being “ruthful.”
Feckless. 1590s, from feck, "effect, value, vigor" (late 15c.), Scottish shortened form of effect (n.), + -less. Popularized by Carlyle, who left its opposite, feckful, in dialectal obscurity. Related: Fecklessly; fecklessness.

 

[classic33]

[QUOTE 5270161, member: 259"]That is a truly wonderful word and I'm going to start using it management reports forthwith (or should that be "going forward"?). [/QUOTE]
From this moment on, or fromnowon.

 

[postman]

I really do like Vantage's new avatar,it would look good on a t shirt,i might just go down to Otley and see if they can copy it,if that is legal.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

A bruised glutimus maximus is a pain in the backside.

 

[Threevok]

Smart toilets ???

Surely being smart means not letting people crap on you

 

[classic33]

If there is no forest/wood, where do bears go?

 

[ColinJ]

People who are described as "ruthless"; what is this "ruth" they lack?

Similarly for "gormless" people; what exactly is "gorm"?

There was a sketch on Candid Camera about 50 years ago based on that! A foreign-sounding man walked up to people asking them where to get 'gorm'. "I must have gorm! My beauuuuu-tiful girlfriend, she finish with me because she say I so gormless. Where I buy gorm?", that kind of thing.