There are a lot of words in the English language that sound odd to some people. There are a lot of crazy words.
For example
You don't rush in ''rushhour''.
A hotdog is not made of dog meat.
An eggplant is not a plant that produces eggs.
''Birdbrain'' is used as an insult but, some birds like parrots are actually really smart.
There's no where to rest in a restroom.
A starfish is not a fish.
A jellyfish is not a fish.
There's no pine nor apple in pineapple.
shooting stars aren't stars.
Well, here is my take on the subject.
"Rushhour" is a time in the day when everyone is rushing to get somewhere.
"Hotdogs" were originally called "Hot dachshunds" because they were long like the actual dog.
I am not even sure I have ever seen or had eggplant before (I am sure I have, but I cannot remember so).
On average, humans are much smarter than birds. A human can speak a language fluently whereas a bird cannot.
Restroom; this has been debated too much on this forum already!
Starfish seems simple to me. It is in the water where fish live, and it looks like the shape of a star; "starfish."
Same with Jellyfish. It looks like jelly, and it lives in the water with fish.
Shooting Stars are up in the sky where stars are. It looks like they have been shot out of a gun when you see them, hence, Shooting Stars.
Mind you, this is all just what seems logical to me. I am sure someone will dispute these claims or prove me wrong with evidence. However, this is just how I see it.
I've heard of hot dogs also being called Coney Islands.A term used back in the 30's. I think it something to do with where they were first made. I'm not sure on that though that they were made there.
spork is also a crazy word = ). though it dosn't have anything do with oxymorons.
''Birdbrain'' the insult is named after one of the smartest animals. The African Grey Parrot.
No one is rushing in rushhour. Every is going very slow at that time. It takes forever to get home.
Shooting stars are in the sky with the stars but they're not stars. There's never any rush in rushhour. You can't rush. it is impossible to rush then. Starfish are in the water with the fish but they are not fish. I just thought of another one. I really didn't like it when I was looking at Snapfacts on my cable box and it was going very slow. Jellyfish are in the water with the fish but they are not fish.
I hate sporks. Places that give out sporks are so cheap. Give me a fork and a spoon ''not a spork''. What's the point of having sporks. It's easier to use a spoon and a fork. Sporks are stupid.
Mike wrote: "'Birdbrain' the insult is named after one of the smartest animals. The African Grey Parrot."
Is the African Grey Parrot smarter than humans? I don't think so.
Hmm, the reason that traffic is at a standstill is because everyone tries to rush home all at once. Hence, "rushhour."
Mike...how can I put this delicately?...Are you mentallly challenged? You write as if you are. Like that character in "Rain Man".
When I was talking about the ''African Grey Parrot'' I was talking about one of the smartest ''animals''. Humans are not animals. So, no, I'm not saying that African Greys are smarter than humans.
Humans are animals, Mike. Ah, but we've already been through this with you, haven't we? It seems it didn't do any good.
Anyway, this has nothing to do with language.
How about "peak hour traffic", "peak time" or simply "peak hour". Rush hour has always sounded like an oxymoron to me. Tell me who doesn't rush when they are driving a car, I certainly do regardless of what time of the day it is. It doesn't have to be (RUSH) only when I'm going home from school. And also. why rush HOUR, sometimes it can last more than an hour, way more. Anyway, I know I'm just been pedantic, but hey I felt like pointing that out.
Mjd, Saying that chimpanzees and parrots are some of the smartest animals is okay. It's like alot of astronomers say the closest star to us is ''Proxima Centauri'', Really the closest star to us is ''The Sun'' but, astronomers call ''Proxima Centauri the closest star. So it's okay to say ''smartest animals'' and be excluding humans.