FEEL THE GROOVE

The music of language: Do you know these 10 phrases with musical origins?

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Music is truly an essential part of our daily lives. Think about that amazing playlist that helps you get to work, or that soundtrack that gives you goosebumps when you watch your favorite movie. You don’t really need to go far to find a way in which music impacts your life. In fact, can you do the exact opposite? Can you think back to a time when music wasn’t there for you? Probably not.

Music influences almost every single aspect of our modern world, and our language is no exception. We have gathered ten of our favorite musical terms that have found their way into becoming everyday words.

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We are starting this list with a rather well-known word. The word "gig" refers to a job, usually a single-time event for which a musician or performer receives payment. Nowadays, the word is not only limited to the world of music: the phrase "gig economy" is commonly used by economists to refer to a labor market heavily influenced by freelance and part-time jobs.

The first use of this word comes from the Roaring Twenties and the world of jazz, used to refer to clubs and spots where bands would regularly play. However, should you check in a dictionary, you would find at least three more definitions for "gig", including a two-wheeled carriage, a fast and narrow boat, and a fishing device similar to a harpoon.

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Picture a sappy soap opera that maybe turned into somewhat of a guilty pleasure, or on a throw pillow filled with flowers sewn by your grandma. The word schmaltz, meaning something extremely sentimental or florid, could be used to describe these things.

Curiously, schmaltz comes from shmalts, the Yiddish word for clarified fat, a common ingredient in traditional Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. The word found its way into the English language in the 1930s. It was first used by musicians and journalists to refer to music "thickened" with over-sentimentality.

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We have all done this, from the fresh-faced intern trying to impress his unmoving boss, to a five-year-old yelling, "Look how fast I can run!" The idiom "to toot your own horn" speaks about humankind’s need to be liked, which inexplicably drives us to speak boastfully about ourselves.

Before this idiom took the form we know now, it was phrased as "blow your own trumpet", and its first use comes from the King James Bible. Historians believe that the trumpet in the saying was blown to indicate the arrival of royalty with a fanfare of horns. In the United States, the phrase became popular after it was used in the letters between John Adams and James Warren.

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The adjective "far-out" describes something excellent or unconventional. Most of the time, it is used for something truly groundbreaking that encompasses both meanings. The first recorded use of this word comes from the 1950s, in journalistic pieces related to daring jazz musicians. These magazines tried to include the new lexicon used by the jazz world and made words like "cats" and "far-out" available to the general public.

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We all wish that old age finds us "fit as a fiddle": energetic, robust, and in good health. We marvel at the inexplicable vigor that a senior relative of ours seems to pull out of thin air, but have you ever stopped to consider what that expression actually means?

We all know that fiddle is another word for violin, but what does this four-string instrument have to do with good health? Well, the explanation comes from a change of meaning in the word "fit." Variants of this phrase can be traced back to the 17th century when the word "fit" meant "suitable" or "fit to be used."

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You might be surprised to learn that a word you probably used as a kid to describe how you felt about broccoli comes from jazz music. Used both as an adjective and as a noun, "icky" was used by jazz aficionados to describe sentimental or sappy pieces, while an icky person was someone with controversial taste in music. Over time, the word evolved to include everything that we consider disgusting or offensive.

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This idiom might transport you to the warm and dazzling streets of Buenos Aires. You might even hear the music that carries both you and the dance partner of your choosing through the synchronized beauty that is tango. While this is truly a pleasant image, it is worth mentioning that this idiom is used to convey a feeling of responsibility: like in tango, both parties are equally responsible for the outcome of a situation.

The arrival of this idiom to the United States can be traced back to the 1952 song "Takes Two to Tango", made famous by American actress and singer Pearl Bailey. Thirty years later, President Ronald Reagan brought the phrase back into the spotlight after a news conference in which he used the idiom to refer to American-Russian relations.

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Confronted by a broken vase or window while you were a kid, you might have been advised by a sibling to "face the music" and confess to your parents about this mishap. This idiom means accepting the consequences of your actions, and its origins are still disputed. The most accepted theory believes that it comes from the theater, particularly from New England actors during the 19th century. These actors would face the orchestral pit while performing: facing the music (and the audience) could be interpreted as a way to describe stage fright.

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This idiom, which means to overdo something or to spare no expense, doesn’t really seem to come from the musical world. The image it brings to mind seems closer to a speeding car and overlooked stop signs, so you might be surprised to learn that this phrase comes from pipe organs. The stops in question are in fact a series of knobs that control the volume of an organ. Therefore, pulling all the stops would raise the instrument to maximum volume, and produce a powerful blast of sound.

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A square person is, to put it simply, someone boring: A square might dress conservatively, and have a conventional taste or demeanor. It was first used in the 1930s, as a derogatory term for those that don’t enjoy jazz music. More recently, the band Huey Lewis and the News brought this term back into fashion with their 1986 hit song "Hip to Be Square."

DOMO ARIGATO, MR. ROBOTO

8 ways to say "thank you" in different languages

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Have you ever wondered how people around the world express their gratitude? Wonder no more, because here you'll find out how to say "thank you" in 8 different languages. Without further ado, let's get to it!

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If you are reading this, you probably already know this one. However, it's interesting to consider the etymology of the word "thanks". It derives from the Old English and Proto-Germanic words for "thought" and "memory" and, according to Merriam-Webster, it is also related to the Latin word tongēre, "to know". When you give your thanks to someone, you are acknowledging what they have done for you and stating that you won't forget it.

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Spanish is one of the most widespread languages in the world, and you'll probably be surprised to learn that the United States is the second country with the largest number of Spanish speakers in the world (yes, including Spain!). If you are feeling extra-grateful, you can go beyond the simple gracias and say muchas gracias! (thanks a lot!) or muchísimas gracias! (thank you very much!).

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For non-native speakers, Mandarin Chinese is an incredibly difficult language to learn. However, due to the size and population density of its country of origin, it's spoken by way over 900 million people. That's over 900 million people you can now say "thank you" to! Not a small number by any means.

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Merci has been in use in the French language, as an expression of gratitude, at least from the 12th century onward. It derives from a Latin word meaning "wage" or "price", but its modern use comes from the Old French mercit, meaning "gift," "kindness," or even "pity". In the latter sense, it shares roots with the English word "mercy".

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There are plenty of ways to say "thank you" in Hindi, another one of the most widespread languages in the world. Dhanyavaad is the most formal one, but also quite standard, and you'll never go wrong with it. Shukriyaa, on the other hand, is more informal and should be reserved for your friends and family. Lastly, thaiṅkyū is kind of a cheat, as it is a loan word that tries to replicate the way "thank you" sounds.

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This one is a little different. Because of how Portuguese grammar works, how to say "thank you" will depend on the gender of the speaker. Men should say Obrigado, while women should say Obrigada. They both mean "I'm thankful" or, if you'd rather get technical, "I'm indebted to you".

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Being one of the largest countries in terms of surface area, Russian is a language spoken by a proportionally large number of people. Spasiba, sometimes written phonetically in English as "Spa See Bah", is the most common expression used to say "thank you" in Russian. It is short for Spasi Bog, which translates to something close to "let God save you".

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It has been suggested that Arigatō derives from a phonetic corruption of the Portuguese Obrigado. However, this has been disproven, and both of these ways to say "thank you" are false cognates. Arigatō, and the longer and more formal arigatō gozaimasu, find their roots in an old Japanese word meaning "rare" or "precious". It signifies the gratitude felt for an outstanding kindness received.