Ends and Odds

Here are even more oddities about the English language:

• Why do we say, “even and odd,” but when it comes to ends and odds the odds go first?
• Please stop saying, “but yet.” But and yet mean the same thing. Try, “and yet,” or just, “but.”
• Here’s an old classic that recently reared its nonsensical head: “Irregardless.” It generally suffices to say, “regardless,” unless you are  trying to negate the negative and come up with an adverb form of regard.
• “Same difference”: Huh?
• How about didgeridon’ts for those who don’t like didgeridoos?*
• “Republicans” can be rearranged to spell Snare Public. Perhaps that’s behind their success in tricking people to vote against their own interests.
• Democrats, on the other hand are generally dismissed as bleeding hearts (“Democrats” rearranges to spell Cared Most) and educated elites (also spells out Smart Coed).
• I’ve often wondered why Democrats, even when they control both houses of Congress, act like they are the minority party and Republicans seem to run the show, controlling the terms of the debate and pushing the Democrats into compromises that the Republicans end up not supporting. Maybe it’s just the names of the parties:
  • “Democrats” contains scared, tame, coma, dream, soar, roam, star, stream, cream, ascot, care, dote, comrades, credos, mores, E.R.A., eros, Macs (Republicans use PCs), modest, rose, sacred, and Ted (as in Kennedy).
  • “Republicans” is full of words like: rules, race, run, princes, sire, sure, user, cruel, spar, nail, inure, snap, slice, slap, bruise, pain, rape, abuser, slain, sniper, crab, pincer, saber, lance, spear, pliers, carbine, burin, cleanup, ban, sue, ruin, snub, ire, snarl, rail, sneap, snip, snipe, rasp, spiel, unclear, lies, liars, slur, rubes, saps, scab, rase, brisance, lucre, pale, aliens, bile, brucine, urinal, renal, penis, urine, anus, arse, crap, panic, peril, relic, club, lair, insular, snare, arsine, lues, rabies, arsenic, burns, burial, R.I.P., penal, nuclear, supernal, sin, risen, praise and, just to freak you out: Israel.

You may be asking yourself, “Why are there so many more words hidden in ‘Republicans’ than ‘Democrats’?” The reason is that with Democrats, you get pretty much what you see – a disorganized group of polite dreamers who want what’s best for everyone. They’re like the Canadians of American politics. With Republicans, there’s a hidden agenda, and somehow that agenda has something to do with words like, abuser, liars, and penis.

*Thanks to George Carlin, who suggested cheese fondon’t for those who don’t like cheese fondue.

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Click the flower for some more political words within words, plus other English fun: