Log Cabin Personality…and Other Household Names

Log Cabin Personalityand Other Household Names

The English language is really very diverse, so much so that it has adapted a lot of foreign languages and passed it off as its own. Tweak a little of the pronunciation, add a vowel here and there, and voila, a new English word has been born.

Who would have thought that a word like "boondocks", denoting a rough country or backwoods, actually came from the Filipino word bundok, which literally means mountain? And what about the word "gaga" which has now come to symbolize a fashion trend? It was originally a French term, literally meaning old fool. A lot of Arabic words have also been stylized and have been put into everyday use, such as "loofah", "kismet", and "cipher". Spanish words have also been put into excellent use in the English language, whereas an outdoor sitting area is now formally called a "patio", and a dining hall in a school or office building is commonly called a "cafeteria" which literally means coffeehouse. And would you believe that vanilla, which is the most famous flavor of ice cream, actually came from the Spanish word "vainilla" which literally means little pod?

What about those often heard phrases? Saying that a person is "in the doghouse" meant that he is in trouble, and saying that a person lives in a "henhouse", or is a "chicken" meant that he is cowardly or weak. When somebody says he came from "the hood", it denotes a rough and tumble person prone to violence, hence most people steer clear of them because they might get into a fight. If someone said he was just released from the "cuckoo's nest", it meant they just recently got out from a mental facility or rehabilitation center. A "trip down memory lane" meant that someone is being nostalgic about their past, and a "journey to LaLa land" either meant going to sleep or trying to make it big in Hollywood. The term "excuse my French" does not mean that the speaker is uttering a French word, but implies that a profanity is being expressed.

Politicians have also made good use of these types of terms. Being a "log cabin" personality meant that the individual is simple and unpretentious yet steadfast and dependable. A symbol of individualism, of the pioneer spirit, of hard work and humble beginnings, this representation has gained much good publicity that a person running for office who was born in a log cabin or was raised in one usually ended up winning the electoral race. Examples of United States Presidents who were born in log cabins are Andrew Johnson, James Polk, James Buchanan, and James Garfield. And perhaps the most famous of them all is Abraham Lincoln who was born in a cabin in rural Kentucky and raised in a similar type of home in Illinois. Much celebrated is his victory that he has toys named after him, the Lincoln logs, made up of various sized notched rods which could be fitted together and assembled to form miniature structures.

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