The Word Guy: Etymologist takes fresh look at 'stalemate'
Is “stalemate,” meaning “a deadlock,” related to “stale,” meaning “old, not fresh”? You might think so, because, as anyone who follows Congress knows, stalemates can get awfully stale after a while.
In fact, “stalemate” is related not to “stale,” but to “stall,” meaning “to stop, block, delay.” “Stall,” which is derived from the French word “estal,” meaning a “fixed position,” was originally spelled “stale” in English.
Because the game of chess was invented before this spelling change occurred, the chess term for a situation in which no legal move is possible retains the original spelling “stale.” The “-mate” was added for consistency with “checkmate.”
Eventually, of course, “stalemate” leaped from chess into general parlance as a term for any deadlock.
(The “stale” that means “old” is derived from the Middle Dutch “stel,” a term used to describe old beer — which players involved in a lengthy stalemate often end up drinking.)
Let's take a quick peek at the origins of some other look-alikes:
• Is there a husk (the dry outer covering of a seed) in a husky voice?
Yes. People noticed a similarity between a raspy voice and the sound of dry husks rubbing together. (And the “husky,” meaning “burly, big,” is believed to be derived from the fact that husks are bursting with seeds.)
• Is there straw in “strawberry”?
Possibly. Some say the “straw” in “strawberry” is an alteration of “strayberry” or “strewberry,” referring to the plant's straying and strewing runners. But most etymologists believe “strawberry” refers to the straw-like appearance of the plant's seeds on the surface of its berries.
• Is there “rage” in “outrage”?
Surprisingly, no. “Outrage” came into English not as a fusion of “out” and “rage,” but from the intact French word “outre,” meaning “beyond,” implying that something is excessive or gone too far. “Rage” comes from the Late Latin “rabere,” meaning “to be angry.”
• Does a tail or tongue wag in “wag,” meaning a “joker”?
No. You might think a wit or a wise guy is called a “wag” because of his or her wagging tongue or tail-wagging spirit. But the origin of this term is more sobering.
“Wag” is a shortening of the obsolete word “waghalter,” meaning “a mischief-maker about to be hanged,” who will soon “wag” (sway) in the “halter,” as a hanging rope was called.
That's something to think about before you post that hilarious spoof of the boss.
