Bob and arnie have both tried to get an eymology game going, but their efforts have not come to fruition. This time we're going to make a go of it!

What's the origin of narwhal? Send "daffymologies" (Bethee5's term) via PM and we'll see who can come up with a winning plausible - but wrong - origin for this strange whale.

mine's in.

And mine

Still just two. Come on, people, we need more, MORE MORE!

In this game, is it okay to look up the definition of Narwhal prior to providing a daffy etymology of it?

quote:

Originally posted by Tom:
In this game, is it okay to look up the definition of Narwhal prior to providing a daffy etymology of it?

No, please do NOT look it up! That's where the fun is: guessing which is the real one! Send me a fanciful one by PM.

All I'll tell you is that a narwahl is a whale with a unicorn-like beak that lives in northern waters. It's up to you to imagine the rest.

I'd say it's probably OK just to check the definition as long as you don't check anything etymological.

I mean, if you are under the impression that a narwhal is a kitchen spatula instead of a whale like creature with a bony protuberance like a unicorn's horn, it will be kind of hard to invent a reason for the name.

And BTW if mine and Kalleh's are the only two you have you need to go wake up arnie! He should contribute.

Has arnie fallen asleep again? What about z?

Yes, Bob, you're right. My concern is that one might see the etymology whilst reading the definition.

Nothing from arnie yet, and Z seems to be MIA. I do have one more, though. Keep 'em coming!

quote:

Nothing from arnie yet, and Z seems to be MIA. I do have one more, though.

You've got mine, and have acknowledged it, Geoff!

Ooops, you're right! Look who's asleep!

Yours was the first one. Several other PMs between it and the other Bluffing Game PMs, so I didn't see it clumped with the others. Well, that's my excuse anyway.

This would be a good game for z and goofy. Come on, guys!

We have sufficient participation to post the
submissions, plus the real one.

1. "Narwhal was borrowed from German Narrwal (< Narr 'fool' + Wal 'whale').

2. Its name is derived from the Old Norse nár, meaning "corpse", + whal, "whale." Ancient sailors mistook them for the corpses of dead sailors due to their mottled grey and white colour.

3. From the Old Norse reflex of Proto-Indo-European nāus "boat", plus Old Norse hvalr "whale".

4. Originally from Old English "an orwell", which was changed to "a norwell" and then "a narwhal" because of the similarity with the existing word "whale". "Orwell" meant "screw", a reference the the male's helical horn.

5. From Old English noord, meaning north and old high German wal, meaning whale.

6. The first people to encounter a narwhal were the crew of a Cornish fishing boat. Having got hopelessly lost one of the crew, Walter Smith by name, was attempting to take a sextant reading. He asked his crewmate if there was anything behind him as he did so and received the reply, "No, Wall" which, in the crew's broad cornish accents, sounded very much like "Nar Whal." At that moment one of the great beasts rose up from the water alongside their boat. And that was how it received its unlikely name.

7. From Inuit, "nuoa-rwol," or "penis-face," from the phallus-like projection on its head.

8. The OED lists narwhal as "etymology uncertain, perhaps from the Danish given name, 'Norvil,' or St. Norvil's whale."

One of the above is real, but with this erudite-appearing selection, it might be tough to pick it out!

I wish B3-5 and Tom had submitted one, but maybe they'll jump in with a guess as to which is which!

I'll try 2

Wow, some of those are creative! You have to like #6, and #7 is hilarious. Not playing to win but instead to reward the imaginations, I am choosing #2.

Well....I like them all. I strongly doubt that it's 7 but I would like to be so much that I will go with that as my guess. 7

On a quick note, just to let you all know I am not the word scholar, writer, or poet that so many here appear to be. I will participate when I can on some of these games, but coming up with an etymology for this that even sounded good was a bit over my "pay grade".

One recommendation though, I would suggest that the author of the particular game give a brief definition of the word for anyone that is not aware of it. Only as much as they want to offer, while not giving anything away. The challenge is not a "daffynition" of the word, but a "daffy-origin" if you will.

I agree with Tom, though of course there is no reason that words for this game need to be obscure.
Though it's useful if they don't have an obvious origin.

I'll take number seven. That's how we named my brother.

I'll go for No. 2.

I'll go with 6 because hilarious.

Anyone else wish to answer? Bethree5, quit your yodeling and throat singing long enough to guess! Or say which it is if you actually know!

Tom, point well taken. Whoever does the next word, take note!

Yodelay-hee-hoo! High on a hill stood a lonely goatherd, etc,etc.
As a matter of fact: special extra rehearsal earlier this eve; 3hr dress rehearsal w/orch tomorrow, call for 3pm Sun concert is at 1:15!!

Tough choices! I'm voting for 8 because the idea of a "St" Norvil-- Danish, yet-- strikes me as just funny enough to be true.

OK, but what about the throat singing? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY1pcEtHI_w It starts at about 20 seconds) I wanna hear somebody throat sing and yodel simultaneously!

The results:

#1 was submitted by zmježd, fooling nobody.

#2 is the real one, as Bob, arnie, and Kalleh knew - or guessed. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narwhal

#3 was Goofy's. We had participation from both of our linguists, yet nobody believed them!

#4 was arnie's.

#5 was Kalleh's.

#6 was Bob's, selected by Goofy, just for fun, I suspect. It IS funny!

#7 and #8 are my own concoctions - or con-cock-tions in one case, in honor of Proofreader's brother.

IIRC, arnie and Bob both have words in waiting, soooo, one of you take it away!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Geoff,

I didn't know, Geoff...it was just a good guess.

Great game, though!

quote:

#7 and #8 are my own concoctions - or con-cock-tions in one case, in honor of Proofreader's brother.

Hmmm....I think Proofreader has been telling his brother that his name was based on the term "penis face" for so long that he just believes it himself now.

My brother went in for a deviated septum and had it circumcized.