THE STORY BEHIND THE WORDS

Nightmare
This word comes from the Old English "nigtmaere". The first part obviously refers to "night". The second part should not be confused with mare (a female horse). In fact, it refers to a demon or evil spirit believed to suffocate people during their sleep. So this word was used to make reference to a bad dream caused by this demon. With time, the term has changed its meaning to describe any frightening dream in general. Esta palabra proviene del ingls antiguo "nigtmaere". La primera parte obviamente se refiere a "night" (noche). La segunda parte no debe confundirse con "mare" (yegua). En realidad, se refiere a un demonio o espritu maligno que se crea que sofocaba a las personas mientras dorman. Por lo tanto esta palabra se usaba para hacer referencia a un mal sueo causado por este demonio. Con el tiempo, el trmino ha cambiado su significado para describir cualquier sueo espantoso en general.

Jeans
The word jeans come from gene fustian. Fustian was the name of the cotton cloth that was used for making jeans, and gene was an adjective in old English meaning that comes from Genoa, the Italian city where the fustian was made. In time the spelling became jeans and they became very popular around 1960. La palabra jeans proviene de gene fustian. Fustian era el nombre de la tela de algodn que se utilizaba para fabricar los jeans, y gene era un adjetivo en ingls antiguo que significa que proviene de Gnova, la ciudad italiana donde se fabricaba la tela fustian. Con el tiempo la escritura pas a ser jeans y se volvieron muy populares hacia 1960.

Cardigan
This word meaning a knitted jacket fastened with buttons, was named after James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan. This piece of garment was first worn by British soldiers during the cold winter of Crimea, where the Earl led the Light Brigade in the Crimea War in 1854. Esta palabra que se usa para nombrar un suter tejido, con botones al frente, proviene de James Thomas Brudenell, sptimo conde de Cardigan. Soldados britnicos usaron esta prenda por primera vez durante el fro invierno de Crimea. En esa oportunidad, el conde lideraba la brigada llamada Light Brigade en la guerra de Crimea en 1854.

Deadline
This word means the time when something should be already finished. It first appeared in 1920 and it comes from the newspaper jargon. After the time indicated as deadline, there's no point in continuing writing a story because it's considered moot or dead as it wouldn't be published. The word was also used in printing, meaning a line that marked the limit of a page, anything outside it wouldn't be printed. Esta palabra significa el momento en que algo debera estar terminado. Apareci por primera vez en 1920 y proviene de la jerga del peridico. Despus del tiempo indicado como deadline, no tiene sentido continuar escribiendo una historia porque se la considera dudosa o muerta ya que no sera publicada. La palabra tambin era usada en la imprenta, y era una lnea que marcaba el lmite de una pgina, cualquier cosa fuera de ella no se imprimira.

Fortnight
This word derives from the Old English word fowertyneniht, which means fourteen nights. In the 13th century it entered the modern English language as fortnight. In fact, there was also a word for seven nights in Old English: seofonnihta, introduced into modern English as sennight. However, this word was discarded in the 19th century. Esta palabra deriva de la palabra del ingls antiguo fowertyneniht, que significa catorce noches. En el siglo XIII ingres al ingls moderno como fortnight. De hecho, haba tambin una palabra para siete noches en el ingls antiguo: seofonnihta, introducida en el ingls moderno como sennight. Sin embargo, esta palabra fue descartada en el siglo XIX.

Gossip
This word derives from the Old English term "godsibb", which meant "godfather" ("sibb" meant "kin"). The term was then started to be used to refer to any women friends who attended the mother at the time of the birth of her child. But in the late 16th century, gossip became to be used to describe the iddle chatter with friends or acquaintances, maybe like the one those women used to have. Esta palabra proviene de "godsibb", vocablo del ingls antiguo que significaba "godfather" (padrino), "sib" significaba "pariente". El trmino se comenz a usar para referirse a las amigas que acmpaaban a una madre en el momento de dar a luz. Pero a finales del siglo XVI, gossip se empez a utilizar para describir las charlas informales con amigos o conocidos, probablemente tal como las que tenan aquellas amigas.

Handicap
This term refers to the advantage given by the most qualified players to others that are inferior in order to balance competition. It derives from the English expression "hand in cap" and it's related to a common game in the XVII century in which a cap or hat was used to hold the money for bets. Este trmino se refiere a la ventaja dada por los jugadores o equipos ms calificados a otros que son inferiores, a efectos de equilibrar la competencia. Proviene de la expresin inglesa "hand in cap" (mano en gorra) y se refiere a un juego usual en el siglo XVII en la cual se usaba una gorra o sombrero para sostener el dinero de las apuestas.

Hooligan
This word refers to a noisy violent person who causes trouble by fighting other people, usually in football stadiums. It comes from the name Patrick Hooligan, a famous Irish criminal from the XIX century who was often hired by certain restaurants, pubs and public centres to take care of unwanted customers. There is also a theory that associates the term with the Hooley gang that terrorised London in the 1890s. Esta palabra hace referencia a una persona violenta y ruidosa que genera problemas pelendose con otras personas, usualmente en estadios de ftbol. Proviene del nombre Patrick Hooligan, un famoso criminal irlands del siglo XIX que era contratado usualmente por algunos restaurantes, pubs y centros pblicos para hacerse cargo de los clientes indeseables. Existe tambin una teora que asocia este trmino con la banda Hooley que aterroriz Londres en los aos 1890.

Yankee
This word probably comes from the Dutch name Jan Kaas, a nickname used to refer to a Hollander, which means "John Cheese". It was then used by the British to refer to someone from the United States. But in American English it refers to someone from the northern USA, especially New England. Probablemente, esta palabra proviene del nombre holands Jan Kaas, un apodo utilizado para referirse a un holands, algo as como "Juan Queso". Luego fue usado por los britnicos para referirse a alguien de los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, en ingls americano, denomina a alguien del norte de Estados Unidos, especialmente del estado de New England.

Coin
This word comes from the Latin cuneus, which meant wedge. It was introduced into Old French as coing, and later into Old English as coin, to refer to a corner. As the metal press that was used for making money during the 14th century was wedged-shaped, it was called a coin. Soon after that, the word began to be used to refer to the pieces of money made with that press. Esta palabra proviene del latn cuneus, que significaba "cua". Fue introducida al francs antiguo como coing, y ms tarde al ingls antiguo como coin, para hacer referencia a una esquina o curva. Como la prensa metlica que se usaba para fabricar dinero durante el siglo XIV tena forma de cua, se la llam coin. Al poco tiempo, la palabra comenz a utilizarse para referirse a las piezas de dinero fabricadas con dicha prensa.

Bagel
A bagel is a Jewish bread in the shape of a ring, which has become popular in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. This word obviously derives from the Yiddish word beygal, which comes from the German word Bgel, meaning stirrup. According to legends, the bagel originated in Vienna in 1683, when bakers invented this bread in the form of a stirrup, inspired by the victory obtained by King John III Sobieski of Poland, who led the cavalry attack against the Turks in the Battle of Vienna. Un bagel es un pan de origen judo con forma de anillo, que se ha vuelto popular en los Estados Unidos, Canad y el Reino Unido. Esta palabra obviamente proviene de la palabra yidish beygal, que procede de la palabra alemana Bgel, que significa estribo. Segn las leyendas, el bagel se origin en Viena en 1683, cuando los panaderos inventaron este pan con forma de estribo, inspirados en la victoria obtenida por el Rey John III Sobieski de Polonia, quien lider el ataque de caballera contra los turcos en la Batalla de Vienna.

Bait
This word comes from the Old Icelandic word beita, which means 'to make to bite'. It was introduced into English around 1300 with the sense of 'something used as an enticement to bite'. Esta palabra proviene de la palabra del islands antiguo beita, que significa 'hacer morder'. Fue introducida al ingls alrededor de 1300 con el sentido de 'algo utilizado como incentivo para morder'.

Ballot
This word was first used around 1540. It comes from the Italian word pallotte, which is the diminutive form of palla (meaning ball). During that time, small balls were used by voters to choose a candidate. Nowadays, it refers to the sheet of paper on which a voter marks his vote, or the printed sheet of paper with the names of the candidates. Esta palabra fue utilizada por primera vez alrededor del 1540. Proviene de la palabra italiana pallotte, que es la forma diminutiva de palla (que significa bola). Durante esa poca, los votantes usaban pequeas bolillas para elegir a un candidato. En la actualidad, se refiere a la hoja de papel en la cual un votante marca su voto, o la hoja de papel impresa con los nombres de los candidatos.

Bankrupt
This word refers to someone who has officially said that they cannot pay their debts. It originated in the 16th century and it derives from the Old Italian word 'bancarotta', which is the union of the words 'banca' (meaning bank) and 'rotta' (meaning broken). Esta palabra denomina a alguien que ha declarado oficialmente que no puede pagar sus deudas. Se origin en el siglo XVI y proviene de la palabra del italiano antiguo 'bancarotta', que es la unin de las palabras 'banca' (que significa banco) y 'rotta' (que significa roto).

Beefeater
This term originated in 1610, meaning a well-fed servant. Around the year 1700 it began to be used to refer to the traditional guards at the Tower of London. The meaning is quite clear as it's a reference to a servant spoiled by his master, in contrast to a "loaf eater" (a servant that eats only bread). Este trmino se origin en 1610, con el significado de un sirviente bien alimentado. Alrededor del ao 1700 se comenz a utilizar para referirse a los guardias tradicionales de la Torre de Londres. El significado es bastante claro ya que es una referencia a un sirviente mimado por su amo, en contraste con un "loaf eater" (un sirviente que come solamente pan).

Black box
This word refers to the device that records data about a flight and is used when an airplane crashes to investigate the causes of the accident. The term was invented during World War II to refer to an instrument that enabled bombers to see through the dark. It was also used to refer to a radar and later it was adopted to name the first flight recorders (which were originally black). Nowadays, the black box is not black but orange, so that it can be easily found at the crash site. Esta palabra se refiere al dispositivo que graba informacin sobre un vuelo y se utiliza cuando cae un avin para investigar las causas del accidente. El trmino fue inventado durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial para referirse a un instrumento que permita a los bombarderos ver a travs de la oscuridad. Tambin se usaba para hacer referencia a un radar y ms tarde se adopt para nombrar a las primeras grabadoras de vuelo (que eran originalmente negras). En la actualidad, la caja negra no es negra sino naranja, de forma que pueda ser encontrada fcilmente en el lugar del accidente.

Bobby
This word is used informally to refer to a British policeman. It derives from the diminutive name of a British politician and statesman called Sir Robert Peel, who created in 1829 the Metropolitan Police. Its members were much better than the previous ones. At first they were called peelers and later, bobbies in honour to that politician, who also abolished capital punishment for minor crimes and allowed Catholics to be part of British Parliament. Esta palabra se usa de manera informal para referirse a un polica britnico. Proviene del diminutivo del nombre de un poltico y estadista britnico llamado Sir Robert Peel, quien cre en 1829 la Polica Metropolitana. Sus miembros eran mucho mejores que los anteriores. Al principio eran llamados peelers y luego, bobbies en honor a dicho poltico,quien tambin aboli la pena de muerte para crmenes menores y permiti que los catlicos formen parte del Parlamento Britnico.

Buck
This word is a shortened form of buckskin, the unit of trading that was used by the Indians in America. It first appeared in writing in the early 19th century and today it's used as the slang term for a dollar. Esta palabra es una forma abreviada de buckskin (piel de ciervo), la unidad de comercio que usaban los indios en Norteamrica. Apareci escrita por primera vez a principios del siglo XIX y hoy en da se utiliza como el trmino informal para nombrar un dlar.

Bug
The word bug is used nowadays to refer to an error or defect that prevents a computer from working correctly. It is believed that Thomas Edison was the first to use it with this meaning, but there is also a more recent story. In 1945, Grace Hopper, a computer pioneer at the Naval Warfare Center in Dahlgreen, Virginia, found an insect inside a malfunctioning machine. She didn't invent the term, but she used it in the logbooks, stating that a bug had been found. La palabra bug se utiliza hoy en da para referirse a un error o defecto que impide que una computadora funcione correctamente. Se cree que Thomas Edison fue el primero en usarla con este significado, pero tambin hay una historia ms reciente. En 1945, Grace Hopper, una pionera en computadoras del Naval Warfare Center en Dahlgreen, Virginia, encontr un insecto dentro de una mquina que funcionaba mal. No fue ella quien invent el trmino, pero lo utiliz en los registros, declarando que un "bug" haba sido encontrado.

Colonel
This word comes from the Italian colonello, meaning "the commander of a column of soldiers". The French introduced this word into French as coronel. In the 16th century, the English adopted the French word and changed it into coronell. By the mid-17th century, however, the spelling was changed to colonel, but the "r" pronunciation remained. Esta palabra proviene del italiano colonello, que significa "el comandante de una columna de soldados". Los franceses introdujeron esta palabra al francs como coronel. En el siglo XVI, los ingleses adoptaron la palabra francesa y la cambiaron por coronell. A mediados del siglo XVII, sin embargo, la escritura fue cambiada por colonel, pero se mantuvo la pronunciacin de la "r".

Cop
The word cop is a slang word for a policeman. It probably comes from the Old French word caper, which meant to seize, to capture. In the late 16th century, it was introduced into the English language as the verb to cap, which was later changed into to cop. In the 19th century the word began to be used as a noun to refer to the person who captures somebody. La palabra cop es una palabra informal para nombrar a un polica. Probablemente proviene de la palabra del francs antiguo caper, que significaba agarrar, capturar. A fines del siglo XVI, se introdujo en la lengua inglesa como el verbo to cap, que ms tarde fue cambiado a to cop. En el siglo XIX la palabra comenz a utilizarse como sustantivo para referirse a la persona que captura a alguien.

Daisy
This word comes from the Old English dgesege, which means "day's eye". There used to be a species of daisies in England that would open during the day and fold its petals at night. Therefore, it was like an eye that was opened during the day. It was called "day's eye", which later became "daisy". Esta palabra proviene del ingls antiguo dgesege, que significa "ojo del da". Sola existir en Inglaterra una especie de margaritas que se abra durante el da y cerraba sus ptalos por la noche. Por lo tanto, era como un ojo que se abra durante el da. Se la llamaba "day's eye" (ojo del da), que ms tarde se convirti en "daisy".

Dungarees
This word refers to a one-piece garment, often of trousers and bib front used to work. It derives from the cloth this garment was made from in the 17th century. This word derives from "dungri", the name of the district in Bombay where that cloth was sold. Esta palabra denomina a una prenda de una sola pieza, consistente en pantalones con una pechera, que normalmente se usa para trabajar. Proviene del nombre de la tela con la cual se fabricaba esta prenda en el siglo XVII. La palabra deriva de "dungri", el nombre del distrito de Bombay donde se venda esta tela.

Granny Smith
This word refers to a variety of green apples. The name was taken from the Australian gardener Maria Ann Smith, also known as Granny Smith. She was the one who first grew this kind of apple in Sydney in the 1860s. Esta palabra denomina una variedad de manzanas verdes. El nombre proviene de la jardinera australiana Maria Ann Smith, tambin conocida como Granny Smith. Fue ella la primera que logr hacer crecer este tipo de manzana en Sidney en la dcada de 1860.

Lent
This word comes from the Old English word lencten, which was the name of the season equivalent to our Spring. It was later introduced into modern English as Lent to refer to the name of the religious period of fasting before Easter. Esta palabra proviene de la palabra del ingls antiguo lencten, que era el nombre de la estacin equivalente a nuestra primavera. Ms tarde se introdujo en el ingls moderno como Lent (Cuaresma) para referirse al nombre del perodo religioso de ayuno antes de la Pascua.

Grocer
This word comes from the Old French word grossier, which means "wholesaler". It was introduced into the English language in the early 15th century, but only in the 16th century it began to be used to refer to "a person that works in a retail shop that sells food". This shop is called "grocery" or "grocer's". Esta palabra proviene de la palabra del francs antiguo grossier, que significa "comerciante mayorista". Fue introducida al ingls a comienzos del siglo XV, pero recin en el siglo XVI comenz a ser usada para referirse a "una persona que trabaja en un comercio minorista que vende comida". A esta tienda se la llama "grocery" o "grocer's".

Hazard
This word comes from the Arabic words al zahr, which mean 'the dice'. In the era of the Crusades, Western Europeans learned how to play some games with dice during their stay in the Holy Land. They picked up the word there. But later the meaning of danger was associated to it, because this kind of games was risky since there were many con men involved. Esta palabra proviene de las palabras rabe al zahr, que significan "los dados". En la era de las Cruzadas, los europeos occidentales aprendieron a jugar algunos juegos con dados durante su estada en Tierra Santa. De all tomaron la palabra. Pero ms tarde se le asoci el significado de peligro, porque este tipo de juegos era riesgoso dado que haba muchos estafadores involucrados.

Jaywalker
The word jaywalker appeared in 1917 in the United States. It makes reference to jay, a slang word meaning 'a stupid person' or 'dumb, inferior'. Therefore, somebody who stupidly ignored traffic regulations was called a jaywalker. Nowadays, it is used to refer to a person who walks across a road at a place where it is forbidden or dangerous to cross. The verb is to jaywalk. La palabra jaywalker apareci en 1917 en los Estados Unidos. Hace referencia a jay, una palabra del slang que significa 'una persona estpida' o 'lerdo, inferior'. Por lo tanto, alguien que estpidamente ignoraba las normas de trnsito era llamado un jaywalker. Hoy en da, se utiliza para referirse a una persona que cruza un camino por un lugar donde est prohibido o donde es peligroso cruzar. El verbo es to jaywalk.

Khaki
This word comes from the Urdu word khaki, which means dusty. (Urdu is the language spoken in Pakistan and India). It was introduced into English during the colonization of India in the 18th century. At first, it was used to refer to the colour of army uniforms. But at the beginning of the 20th century, it was used to name a kind of cloth of the same colour from which those uniforms were made. Today it refers to both the yellow-brown colour and the cloth of this colour. When referring to the trousers of this colour, it's common to say a pair of khakis. Esta palabra proviene de la palabra del urdu khaki, que significa cubierto de polvo. (El urdu es el idioma hablado en Pakistn e India). Fue introducida al ingls durante la colonizacin de India en el siglo XVIII. Al principio, se usaba para referirse al color de los uniformes del ejrcito. Pero a comienzos del siglo XX, se utilizaba para nombrar un tipo de tela del mismo color con el que se fabricaban esos uniformes. Hoy en da se refiere tanto al color marrn amarillento y a la tela de este color. Al hacer referencia a los pantalones de este color, es comn decir a pair of khakis.

Knight
This word refers to a high-rank man who fights while riding a horse. It comes from the Dutch word "Knecht", meaning a slave or servitude. In the 13th century this sense was discarded and it began to be used in reference to a member of the nobility, as in fact, the knight was a servant of the king. Esta palabra hace referencia a un hombre de alto rango que pelea montado a caballo (caballero). Proviene de la palabra holandesa "Knecht", que significa esclavo o servidumbre. En el siglo XIII esta acepcin fue descartada y comenz a utilizarse en referencia a un miembro de la nobleza, ya que en realidad, el caballero era un sirviente del rey.

Mortgage
The word mortgage comes from the Latin words mort (meaning death) and gage (meaning pledge). It appeared in Old French as mortgage and was introduced into Old English in the 13th century. The meaning was that the property was forfeit or taken from the person who didn't pay the loan, and also the pledge of paying would be 'dead' if the loan was completely paid. La palabra mortgage (hipoteca) proviene de las palabras del latn mort (que significa muerte) y gage (que significa promesa). Apareci en el francs antiguo como mortgage y fue introducida al ingls antiguo durante el siglo XIII. El significado consista en que la propiedad era perdida o quitada de la persona que no pagaba el prstamo, y a su vez, la promesa de pagar quedara 'muerta' si el prstamo era pagado completamente.

Nickel
This word comes from the German Kupfernickel, meaning "false copper", which was the name that German miners used to give to the material they worked with. It was called like that because it looked like copper but it contained none. In 1754, the element was successfully isolated and began to be called nickel. In 1755 the word was introduced into the English language, and in he 1880s it started to be used to name the US five-cent coin, which was made partly of this metal. Esta palabra proviene del alemn Kupfernickel, que significa "falso cobre", y era el nombre que solan dar los mineros alemanes al material con el que trabajaban. Se llamaba as porque pareca cobre pero no contena nada de l. En 1754, el elemento pudo ser aislado con xito y comenz a llamarse nickel. En 1755 la palabra fue introducida al idioma ingls, y en los aos 1880 comenz a utilizarse para nombrar la moneda estadounidense de cinco centavos, que en parte estaba hecha con este metal.

Pound / lb
The origin of the lb. abbreviation for pound is in the Latin word "libra", which means both balance scales and also a pound weight. In this case, the full expression was "libra pondo". The second word of that expression gave origin to the word pound. El origen de la abreviatura lb. (que significa pound) reside en la palabra latina "libra", que significa balanza pero tambin, peso de una libra. En este ltimo caso, la expresin completa era "libra pondo". La segunda palabra de dicha expresin dio origen a la palabra pound.

Racquet
This word comes from the French requette, which means "palm of the hand". The French took this word from the Arabic term rahat, which has the same meaning. The word was introduced into the English language around the year 1500, when a sport similar to tennis was played using the open hand. Much later, a device was created to play this kind of sports, and it was called "racquet". Nowadays, it is used in tennis, squash, racquetball and badminton, which are all called "racquet sports". Esta palabra proviene del francs requette, que significa "palma de la mano". El francs tom esta palabra del trmino rabe rahat, que tiene el mismo significado. La palabra fue introducida al idioma ingls alrededor del ao 1500, cuando se jugaba un deporte similar al tenis usando la mano abierta. Mucho despus, se cre un dispositivo para jugar este tipo de deportes, y se lo llam "racquet" (raqueta). En la actualidad, se utiliza en tenis, squash, racquetball y badminton, los cuales son llamados "racquet sports".

Scapegoat
This word is a mistranslation of the Hebrew word Azazel. As part of the Jewish ceremonies of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) during the times of the Temple of Jerusalem, a goat was set free into the wilderness for Azazel (the devil). This goat carried the sins of the people. In 1530 when the Bible was translated, William Tyndale interpreted Azazel as ez ozel (goat that departs), translating it into English as scapegoat. Then this word has come to mean a person who is blamed for the faults of others, as a way of distracting attention from the real causes. Esta palabra es una traduccin errnea de la palabra hebrea Azazel. Como parte de las ceremonias judas del Da de la Expiacin (Yom Kippur) durante los tiempos del Templo de Jerusaln, una cabra era liberada hacia el desierto para Azazel (el diablo). Esta cabra llevaba los pecados de la gente. En 1530 cuando se tradujo la Biblia, William Tyndale interpret Azazel como ez ozel (cabra que se marcha), traducindolo al ingls como scapegoat. Luego esta palabra ha pasado a significar una persona que es acusada de las faltas de otros, como forma de distraer la atencin de las causas verdaderas (chivo expiatorio).

Sideburns
This word comes from the name of the General Ambrose Everett Burnside, who participated in the US Civil War. He was famous for the hair grown on the sides of his face. With time, the order of the syllables was reversed, giving the word sideburns. It refers to the hair that grows on the sides of a man's face, in front of his ears. It's always used in the plural form. Esta palabra proviene del nombre del General Ambrose Everett Burnside, quien particip de la Guerra Civil en Estados Unidos. Fue famoso por el cabello dejado crecer a los costados de su cara. Con el tiempo, el orden de las slabas fue invertido, dando la palabra sideburns. Se refiere al cabello que crece a los lados de la cara de un hombre, delante de sus orejas (patillas). Siempre se usa en forma plural.

Wellington
This word is used to refer to a waterproof rubber boot that covers the knee. It was named after the First Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, also known as "The Iron Duke". He was the one who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. Esta palabra se usa para referirse a una bota de goma resistente al agua y que cubre la pierna hasta la rodilla. Fue denominada as en honor al primer duque de Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, que tambin era conocido como "The Iron Duke" (el Duque de Hierro). Fue l quien derrot a Napoleon en la batalla de Waterloo.

Soap opera
This word refers to melodramatic TV series or radio stories about the daily lives and relationships of a group of people. The word originated in 1939 and they are called like that because the sponsors were soap companies, like Procter and Gamble. As most of these series were broadcast during the day, the audience was composed mainly of housewives. That's why soap companies were interested in sponsoring them. Esta palabra se refiere a las series televisivas melodramticas o historias radiales sobre la vida diaria y las relaciones de un grupo de personas. La palabra tuvo origen en 1939 y se llamaban as porque los auspiciantes eran fabricantes de jabn, como Procter & Gamble. Como la mayora de estas series se transmitan durante el da, la audiencia estaba compuesta principalmente por amas de casa. Por eso, las compaas fabricantes de jabn estaban interesadas en auspiciarlas.

Tabloid
The word tabloid appeared around 1840, when it was used to refer to a small medicinal tablet introduced to help people to swallow medicines in an easier way. By the 18th century, the word began to be used to name other reduced products, like newspapers printed on smaller pages containing abbreviated news in an easy-to-read format, as opposed to broadsheet papers, which had the traditional size. The word tabloid has kept this meaning and nowadays, it also refers to a sensational newspaper. La palabra tabloid (tabloide) apareci alrededor de 1840, cuando se usaba para referirse a una pequea tableta medicinal introducida para ayudar a la gente a tragar las medicinas de forma ms fcil. Hacia el siglo XVIII, la palabra comenz a utilizarse para nombrar otros productos reducidos, como peridicos impresos en hojas ms pequeas que contenan noticias abreviadas en un formato fcil de leer, en oposicin a los broadsheet papers (peridicos de gran formato), que tenan el tamao tradicional. La palabra tabloid ha mantenido este significado y en la actualidad, tambin hace referencia a un peridico sensacionalista.

Teddy Bear
This word referes to a soft stuffed toy bear. It was named after the American president Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was Teddy. Among his hobbies, he liked hunting bears. It is said that he saved the life of a brown bear cub. Then, this story appeared in a cartoon in the Washington Post. After that, stuffed bears were called teddy bears. Esta palabra se utiliza para nombrar a un oso de peluche relleno. Se lo llama as en honor al presidente norteamericano Theodore Roosevelt, cuyo apodo era Teddy. Entre sus actividades favoritas, le gustaba cazar osos. Se dice que le salv la vida a un pequeo oso de color marrn. Luego, esta historia apareci en una historiera del peridico Washington Post. Desde ese momento, los osos rellenos de juguete pasaron a llamarse teddy bears.

Trivia
This word comes from the Latin tri via, meaning three streets. In ancient Rome, there used to be a kiosk at the intersection of three streets, which listed different bits of information. With time, the word came to mean 'different facts about a subject', but also 'unimportant details about something'. Esta palabra proviene del latn tri via, que significa tres calles. En la antigua Roma, sola haber un puesto en la interseccin de tres calles, que listaba diversos datos. Con el tiempo, la palabra pas a significar 'diversos hechos acerca de un tema', pero tambin 'detalles sin importancia sobre algo'.

Tycoon
This word is used in English to make reference to a powerful and wealthy business executive. It comes from the Japanese word taikun, which means 'great prince'. This was the title that had to be used by foreigners to refer to the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Army, although Japanese people called him shogun, meaning 'general'. He was in charge of making decisions in the name of the emperor. The word was adopted into American English around 1860. Abraham Lincoln's cabinet members used tycoon as a nickname for the president. It was later used to refer to big businessmen and leaders, as it is today. Esta palabra se utiliza en ingls para hacer referencia a un ejecutivo de negocios poderoso y adinerado. Proviene de la palabra japonesa taikun, que significa 'gran prncipe'. Este era el ttulo que deban usar los extranjeros para referirse al comandante en jefe del ejrcito japons, aunque los japoneses lo llamaban shogun, que significa 'general'. El estaba a cargo de tomar decisiones, actuando en nombre del emperador. La palabra fue incorporada al ingls americano alrededor de 1860. Los miembros del gabinete de Abraham Lincoln usaban tycoon como un apodo del presidente. Ms tarde fue utilizada para referirse a grandes hombres de negocios y lderes, como hoy en da.

Umpire
This word comes from the Middle English word noumpere, which derives from the Old French nomper, that meant 'different, odd'. The idea was that the umpire was at a different level and he was an impartial authority in legal disputes (nowadays, the legal term arbitrator is used with this meaning.) The word umpire was later associated to the person who controls that the rules of a sport are followed correctly. He has the same functions as a referee, but he's called umpire in badminton, baseball, cricket and tennis. Esta palabra proviene de la palabra del ingls medio noumpere, que deriva del francs antiguo nomper, que significaba 'diferente, desparejo'. La idea era que el umpire se encontraba a un nivel distinto y era una autoridad imparcial en disputas legales (hoy en da, el trmino legal arbitrator se usa con este significado). La palabra umpire fue luego asociada a la persona que controla que se apliquen correctamente las reglas de un deporte. Tiene las mismas funciones que un referee, pero se lo llama umpire en badminton, baseball, cricket y tennis.

Whiskers
This word was originally used to refer to a bundle of feathers, twigs or a brush used for whisking or cleaning a place. In the 17th century, it began to be used to name the hair on a man's face. It also refers to the long stiff hairs that grow near the mouth of mammals, like cats or dogs. The expression "to win/lose by a whisker" means to win/lose by a small amount. Esta palabra se usaba originalmente para referirse a un atado de plumas, ramas, o a un cepillo utilizado para sacudir o limpiar un lugar. En el siglo XVII, se comenz a usar para nombrar al cabello de la cara de un hombre. Tambin se refiere a los pelos largos y duros que crecen cerca de la boca de los mamferos, como gatos o perros. La expresin "to win/lose by a whisker" significa perder/ganar por una cantidad mnima, y equivale a la espaola "ganar/perder por un pelo".