The Precious Language

17-18th century French salon

Once upon a time (during the 17th century, to be more precise), in France, lived a group of women who, tired of the crude jokes played at the royal court(1), took it upon themselves to prove they had just as much, if not more, wit than their so-called "stronger sex" counterparts.

That's when the salon was created, where the ladies playfully dueled with their quick and often satirical words, where they discussed such topics as trial marriages, and even divorce (would anyone be shocked they were for it?), and of courtly love(2), but also developed a particular kind of language, Le Langage Précieux, that had to follow certain rules such as, for instance, the fact that one couldn't call body parts by their actual names. And that tendency spread to other, if not all expressions, to the point that a dictionary would have to be used to understand them all.

Madeleine de Scudéry
famous Précieuse

Here are a few examples:

How Do I Insult Thee? Let Me Count The Ways

Being a native French speaker, I can tell you that (1) we can swear like we breathe, and (1) some swearwords are so common we barely even notice them (ex: merde).

It is therefore only natural that I want to use them in my stories. The only problem is that my current series is YA and I therefore need to, uh, let's say sanitize my writing some and get more creative with my literary insults. Here then are a few invectives I thought I'd share for others who want to swear their heads off at, say, piss-poor drivers on the road, for instance...

1. Loblolly: a stupid, rude or awkward person.
2. Blatherskite: someone who speaks a lot and mostly of dumb things.
3. Cacafuego: someone who likes to boast a lot.
4. Slubberdegullion: a scoundrel.
5. Chawbacon: a hick.
6. Cockalorum: see Cacafuego.
7. Lickspittle: a brown-noser.
8. Snollygoster: Machiavellian person (unprincipled but shrewd).
9. Mumpsimus: someone who stubbornly refuses to follow good advice and therefore makes a mistake.
10. Pettifogger: a shyster (esp. in the practice of the law).

Le Capitaine Haddock, ever the role model

Now that you've increased your arsenal, go forth and conquer!! 

Sources:

10 Rare and Amusing Insults - Volume 1 and Volume 2

Fletcherism Or An Eating Fad Of The Victorian Era

Before and After
Source: Mary Evans/Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

Back in the olden days, people were just as fond of torturing themselves with diets other nutrition trends as they are now (and yes, I do consider forcing myself to stay away from sugar torture!). But no, it wasn't a paleo diet, or juicing, or going gluten free. What people in the second half of the 1800s were into was Fletcherism.

The progressive dinner

So what did this program entail? Well, according to nutritionist Horace Fletcher 9aka the Great Masticator), one had to chew his/her food at least 30 times before swallowing. This would allow the consumer to (1) increase his/her own strength, while (2) reducing the amount of food consumed.

And, logically speaking, I'm sure it worked. Mainly because chewing longer would allow the time necessary for your stomach to signal its fullness which speed eating doesn't.

For those wondering, Fletcherism didn't prevent his adherents from conversing at dinnertime, though I believe it greatly increased the number of people chewing food while speaking.

However, if this doesn't tempt you, there's always the all-time favorite fat reducer: the TAPEWORM!!!*

*Please don't take this statement seriously!

For more on the Great Masticator's ideas and research:
Wikipedia

Initial Source:
Top 10 Words With Bizarre Meanings (go to #5)

Inemuri

A couple years' back, one of the interns at my company was found sleeping on the job. And not just once or twice, but regularly. Needless to say, he didn't stay long. But, perhaps that wouldn't have been the case if he'd done it in another country...

...like Japan!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Inemuri is the art of "sleeping while present" aka sleeping on the job to show how committed you are to it. 

The logic is that the worker's so exhausted from working so hard, practically 24/7, so he/she can't help but fall asleep at work. Some people even fake it, to impress the others. 

However, things aren't that easy, because there are certain rules to follow as well (which isn't too surprising). So before you decide to try it out, know that only those on the higher rungs of the corporate structure or organization can do it, and you must do it while remaining as straight as possible in your seat.

So, who's napping for real or faking it?

Sources:

Wikipedia

Wise Geek

The Origins Of The Samurai

During the Nara period, in the late 8th century, Japan shifted from conscripted armies (a concept that failed) to official troops whose taxes were remitted in exchange for military service.  The samurai remained the military force of Japan until the foot-soldier revolution of the 15th and 16th centuries.

The word samurai comes from the verb samurau, 'to serve.'