factoid of the day

[rone]

The English word 'abalone' comes from the Rumsen word 'aulon', which apparently meant "mermaid pussy".

Comments

[glaucon.livejournal.com]

awesome. goes well with the etymology of "porcelain" which means "pig pussy".

[morrisa.livejournal.com]

You've telescoped the etymology. Porcelain was named for Porcella or cowrie shells because it's shiny finish looks like the outside of the enamel-smooth shell. But why would a shell bear the Latin name "little pig?" The phrase "little pig" was a vulgar ancient Latin name for vagina. They could sling slang with the best of 'em, you know. I think porcella way tops "beaver or pussy," myself. Anyway, the underside of the cowrie does look very vaginal. Long after people stopped thinking about why those beautiful, shiny porcella shells were called that, it seemed a logical thing to name porcelain.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

I think porcella way tops "beaver or pussy," myself.

Hey, i know i'd much rather eat pork than beaver or cat.

[xlerb.livejournal.com]

But “pork” means something else nowadays.

[arian1.livejournal.com]

Rumsen -> Rumsfeld! That explains it all!

[ikkyu2.livejournal.com]

My father grew up in San Diego in the 20's and 30's. Abalone was considered an eccentric piece of sea-garbage; dad would haul a pail down to the docks (at age 6, in 1931!) and haul it back home full of live abalones. The cost: a dime, and the fishermen were glad to get rid of the crap that clogged up their nets.

[sunburn.livejournal.com]

The Geoduck, the world's most phallic mollusk, on the other hand, is from the Nisqually (Lushootseed) Indian word for "dig deep."

The length of the phallic siphon can exceed 3 feet, but contracts to perhaps 4-6" when it's out of the sand and water.

Wikipedia mentions that both it and the abalone are Chinese delicacies, where they join the apparent pattern of chinese delicacies selected because they resemble gonads.. that is, when they aren't actual gonads of some creature.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Mmm, mirugai.

[xlerb.livejournal.com]

And apparently a Detachable Pussy at that.

[bungo.livejournal.com]

One has to wonder just how many mermaids they came across that they need a specialised word for it. (no pun intended)