Don’t Call it a Cumbrack

Really, don’t call anything a cumbrack, because that sounds disgusting.

But folks: newsflash!

As far as 1934 is concerned, “cucumber” and “[en]cumber” have nothing whatever to do with each other. So improbable-feeling, but there you go.
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Also surprising: “cumberbund”* is NOT listed! “Bund” is “waistband” in German; I think we can all agree that “embarrassed waistband” is about right.
Also, a new term for the vexing:
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So, Benedict Cumberbatch sometimes plays blackhearted cumberworlds. Bless him! Bless us all.

One thought on “Don’t Call it a Cumbrack

  1. Not surprising not to find cumberbund; the missing sash isn’t intended to be cumbersome, as it’s a cummerbund:
    A cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets (or tuxedos).[1] The cummerbund was first adopted by British military officers in colonial India as an alternative to a waistcoat, and later spread to civilian use.The word Cummerband, which entered English vocabulary in 1616 via Afghanistan and the use of cummerbands by tribal warriors and later adopted by the languages of the Indian subcontinent such as Hindi and Urdu, is originally a Persian compound (کمربند) comprising kamar (waist) + bund (closed).[2]
    xxx Alice

    Like

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