piquerism n. the derivation of pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from stabbing another person. Etymological Note: From the French piquer ‘to sting or prick (someone or something).’ (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
piquerism n. the derivation of pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from stabbing another person. Etymological Note: From the French piquer ‘to sting or prick (someone or something).’ (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Emily in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is married to a native Dutch speaker, who points out that they buy groceries in a store, so why doesn’t grocery denote just one of those items and not the store where they’re sold? Originally, the French...
Mark in Bismarck, North Dakota, spent years as a sailor, and wonders about the term sea painter, meaning “a rope attached to a lifeboat.” Why painter? The word may derive from Middle French pendeur meaning “a kind of rope that...