"Word History: One of the few overlooked persecuted minorities left in the world is left-handers. The speech police have not yet begun to investigate the sinistrally prejudicial words in English. Sinister began as the Latin word for "left" or "left-handed", then expanded to mean "presaging evil". A "left-handed compliment" is one with a hidden insult. Finally, there is the French word for "left-handed", gauche, which also means "awkward, inept, clumsy". Should we quarantine these words from our vocabulary as we do slurs against other minorities? "
http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/sinister
Originally posted by karoly aczelI did everything as a lefty until I started playing baseball really young.
I was wrapped by my parents for writing(and drawing) with my left hand.
Funny they never noticed I threw a frisbee with my right, used scissors, batted right handed in cricket and a quite a few other ambidexterous behaviours.
Not to mention my right hand is noticeably stronger than the left
I didn't own my own glove so I had to use another kid's all of which were
right handed. So I ended up playing baseball right handed, basketball I'm
equally bad with either hand, but favor my right dribbling.
Originally posted by karoly aczelThe whole left side of my body is useless.
I was wrapped by my parents for writing(and drawing) with my left hand.
Funny they never noticed I threw a frisbee with my right, used scissors, batted right handed in cricket and a quite a few other ambidexterous behaviours.
Not to mention my right hand is noticeably stronger than the left
Originally posted by JS357"Should we quarantine these words from our vocabulary as we do slurs against other minorities?"
"Word History: One of the few overlooked persecuted minorities left in the world is left-handers. The speech police have not yet begun to investigate the sinistrally prejudicial words in English. Sinister began as the Latin word for "left" or "left-handed", then expanded to mean "presaging evil". A "left-handed compliment" is one with a hidden insult. Finally, ...[text shortened]... we do slurs against other minorities? "
http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/sinister
Interesting point. By quarantining words do you think we will change minds? I never would have thought that "sinister" might be related to being left handed till I read your post. Seems a superstitious notion that if one is left handed they are then somehow sinister. Righties are just as likely to be sinister as lefties I would think.
Quarantining words is like burning books in my opinion. We should quarantine people that teach superstitions like "there is no God". Just kidding! 😉