I thought you might enjoy reading this from Blooming English by Kate Burridge.

Thanks, Tinman. That looks like a fascinating book.

What an excellent way to illustrate for students that language is a moving target!

We have discussed the works of Professor Burridge (link) on occasion (link). I gave a talk at at professional conference (link) in Palm Springs, CA, a couple of years ago, and Burridge was the invited linguist and keynote speaker. I also accompanied her and the other Australians at the conference (and a bunch of fellow travelers) on an Aussie cultural event, a pub crawl. She also wrote a sequel to Blooming English, Weeds in the Garden of Words: further observations on the tangled history of the English language. Her book on euphemisms and dysphemisms (co-authored with Keith Allen) is a great read, too.