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In search of ... "Why is it" Websites/services

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barney:
Here are a few that I have listed:

* http://www.westegg.com/etymology/    
courtesy of TaoPhoenix
* http://www.straightdope.com/       
The Straight Dope
* http://www.diffen.com            
compare anything
* http://www.wtsp.com/default.aspx   
Why Do They Call It That?
* http://www.instructables.com      
Instructables
* http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/   
Hoaxes
I'd like to find a few that list naming conventions, e.g., why do they call it the Ku Klux Klan, why do they call it Paradise, why do they call it ...?
I'd also like to find more lexicology, philology, etymology sites - stuff for fun, mostly, rather than serious research stuff.

sword:
What's in a name is important in genealogy. You might look there. Surname and place name origins are interesting.  I think, but have not checked, that place names ending in wich/witch were where salt was located. KKK see Greek for circle ( something like kuklos ). One in my high school kept his sheet under the back seat of his car  >:(

barney:
Yeah, understood.  But finding sites with that information, other than very specific searches, is  ... awkward, shall we say?  A lot of place names migrate to products, e.g. Cognac (if it wasn't produced in Cognac, France, it's brandy, or else  ;D).  But the origins of the product names are not always obvious - I was probably in my twenties before I discovered some of the legal battles over that oft maligned liquor.  In the liquor vein, what is the source of the name Absinthe - also much maligned?  Or why is sour mash called that ... how was it discovered?  Those are the kinds of things for which I want sources.  Not just those, specifically, but generally.  It's easy to find programming sites, or DIY sites ... explanatory sites, not so much.  

For [another] instance, why did Kernigan & Ritchie call the C language C?  It's relatively easy to find explanations of the differences 'tween C and C++, but why is it C?  

Another for instance, neither Kernigan nor Ritchie was much on typing, so a lot of C syntax is based upon two-finger typing and their idea of shorthand.  That's been documented, but finding that particular reference is a matter of serendipity.  I just wanna eliminate as much of the serendipitous effect as possible.

There's an old saying that in order to ask an intelligent question, you need to already know 90% of the answer.  I want to know where the questions reside.

[sidebar]
I'll be glad when I'm out of this bed.  Tablets are nice, but I need a keyboard!
[/sidebar]

joiwind:
In the liquor vein, what is the source of the name Absinthe - also much maligned?
-barney (October 08, 2012, 04:01 PM)
--- End quote ---

It comes from the name of the plant used to "flavour" the drink (though it does apparently have other qualities too which make Absinthe a very special drink).

barney:
In the liquor vein, what is the source of the name Absinthe - also much maligned?
-barney (October 08, 2012, 04:01 PM)
--- End quote ---

It comes from the name of the plant used to "flavour" the drink (though it does apparently have other qualities too which make Absinthe a very special drink).
-joiwind (October 08, 2012, 04:20 PM)
--- End quote ---

And dangerous properties, to boot.  It was once considered to be poisonous, and may well be still.  There is a beverage marketed as Absinthe ... don't know that you can obtain in - or import into - the US, but there is a commercial product of that name elsewhere on the globe, or at least there was a decade or so ago.  Think it was a lot like the Japanese Puffer fish, which is poisonous, but can be prepared so that the diner can get a kick and still not die  :P.  (I'll pass, thank you very much  :P :P.)

[Addendum]
That still doesn't explain the source of the name, though.
[/Addendum]

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