Word Origins

Fun info from a newsletter I follow.

  1. Freelancer translates to “a sword for hire.” Originally, it referred to medieval mercenaries who fought for whichever country paid them the most. Today, the sword is a good metaphor for the sharp specialization that defines a freelancer’s work.
  2. Muscle comes from the Latin word musculus, which translates to “little mouse” because people thought that the shape of muscles looked like mice running under the skin.
  3. The word clue comes from the story of Theseus in Greek mythology. In it, he gets stuck in a maze. To find his way out, he unravels a ball of string called a “clew” which helps him escape. In the same way, we unravel strings of clues to solve mysteries.

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