Language Factoids

• The word "queueing" is the only English word with five consecutive vowels.
• The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P.
• The longest word in the Oxford English Dictionary is "floccinaucinihilipilification," which means "the act of estimating as worthless."
• The abbreviation for pound, "lb.," comes from the astrological sign Libra, meaning balance, and symbolized by scales.
• The Chinese ideogram for "trouble" symbolizes "two women living under one roof."
• In Chinese, the words for crisis and opportunity are the same.
• The word "byte" is a contraction of 'by eight.'
• The phrase "the Boogey Man will get you" comes from the Boogey people, who inhabit an area of Indonesia. These people still act as pirates today and attack ships that pass. Thus, the term spread: "if you don't watch out the Boogey man will get you."
• "Underground" is the only word in the English language that begins and ends with the letters "und."