The Words of the Week - Mar. 22

‘Fire sale’

Fire sale spiked after Donald Trump averred that a recent judgment against him would force him to sell properties at a loss.

Former President Donald Trump is continuing to rail against the $464 million judgment in his New York civil fraud case, claiming Judge Arthur Engoron is trying to take away his rights and that he could be forced to sell his properties at “fire sale prices.”
— Soo Rin Kim, Peter Charalambous, and Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024

Fire sale came into use in the early 19th century, originally with a very literal meaning: it referred to the sale of merchandise that had been damaged in a fire. Soon after, it began to be used in a broader sense, referring also to a sale of goods at very low prices. In the 1880s fire sale began to be used as an adjective, typically modifying the word prices, much as Trump used it last week.

Having been disposed of, until Jan. 1st a large amount of the regular stock will be marked at “Fire Sale” prices.
— The Saint Paul (Minnesota) Globe, 31 Dec. 1882

We took them, because we know what they are. They were cheap at our old prices—how about these prices with a fourth or a third or a half scorched off. That’s what’s been done. How’ll that do for Fire Sale prices on a first-class stock of Dry Goods and Carpets for this spring’s trade?
— Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, 26 Mar. 1888

‘Bloodbath’

Bloodbath also spiked in lookups after being used by Trump.

Former President Donald J. Trump on Monday sought to defend his declaration over the weekend that the country would face a “blood bath” if he lost in November, saying that he had been referring only to the auto industry.
— Maggie Astor, The New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024

The word bloodbath has a number of possible meanings. Those who were alarmed, chagrined, or offended by Trump’s comment opined that he was using the word to mean either “a great slaughter” or “a notably fierce, violent, or destructive contest or struggle.” Some supporters of the former president held that he was merely using bloodbath in the sense we define as “a major economic disaster.”

The ‘economic calamity’ sense of bloodbath has been in use since the late 1960s. The ‘great slaughter’ sense is considerably older: our earliest record of the word in this literal sense is from 1671.

Notwithstanding these grand oppositions, yet there is no Countrey, either West, North, or South, that hath been discover'd by Navigation, which hath taken so large an impression of the true Faith, as Japan: notwithstanding the Blood-Baths which were made there, the cruel Persecutions, the barbarousness of their Tortures, the meekness of the Sufferers, the infinite numbers of Miseries which happen'd in so short a time, that can scarcely be paralell'd by any other People in the World….
— Arnoldus Montanus, Remarkable addresses by way of embassy, 1671

‘Erin go bragh’

Saint Patrick’s Day was last Sunday, and, as is usually the case, there was a sharp increase in lookups for Erin go bragh.

Erin go bragh! A look back at White House St. Patrick’s Day festivities
— (headline) AP News, 14 Mar. 2024

Erin go bragh means “Ireland forever,” but the original Irish phrase was “Erin go brách” (or “go bráth”) which translates literally as “Ireland till doomsday.” It's an expression of loyalty and devotion that appears to have been first Anglicized during the late 18th century Irish rebellion against the British:

“A private letter states, that the Insurgents, on gaining the first advantage, hoisted the standard of Rebellion, with the motto Erin go Bragh , which, however, was soon demolished by the successful reinforcement that arrived to the aid of the Yeoman Cavalry.”
— Whitehall Evening Post (London), 26-29 May 1798

‘Equinox’

Last week contained the equinox, a twice-yearly event that always sends users to their dictionary to look up this word.

This evening, we will have a change of the seasons: The occurrence of the vernal equinox, marking the official start of spring.
— Joe Rao, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2024

There are two equinoxes: the autumnal (fall) and the vernal (spring). They are the times each year (about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are everywhere on earth of approximately equal length. This year the vernal equinox occurred earlier than it usually does, due to it being a leap year. The etymology of the word matches its meaning nicely: equinox comes from aequus, the Latin word for “equal” or “even,” and nox, the Latin word for “night.”

Words Worth Knowing: ‘Mundivagant’

Our word worth knowing this week is for all those who are widely traveled, and also those who would like to be: mundivagant, defined as “wandering over the world.” This lovely archaic specimen comes from the Latin mundi- (“world”) and vagans (“wandering”). It shares the second portion of its root with solivagant (“marked by solitary wandering”) and noctivagant (“going about in the night”).