TIL: Today I Learned

[Phrossack]

TIL that "Swiss" was originally an insult used by Landsknechts and other Swabians in the 15th and 16th centuries to describe citizens of the Eidgenossenschaft (Old Swiss Confederacy). It meant country bumpkin, cowherd, or cow intimate. Other contemporary insults included milksüfer (milk drunkard), milchstinker, chuefigger (cow ****er), and chueschnäggler (cow snuggler). There was intense and bitter rivalry between Landsknechts and Swiss, largely because they competed for mercenary contracts.

On one occasion in February the Landsknechts were garrisoning a castle when they saw some Swiss mercs across the Rhine and taunted them with cow noises until the Swiss crossed the frigid river and burned down a nearby village. They later whipped an army sent to punish them, and the Swabian War began. Eventually the Swiss took the insult as a badge of honor, partly because they were the fiercest and most successful mercenaries in Europe for nearly a century, and the rest is history.

 

[Civ'ed]

TIL that "Swiss" was originally an insult used by Landsknechts and other Swabians in the 15th and 16th centuries to describe citizens of the Eidgenossenschaft (Old Swiss Confederacy). It meant country bumpkin, cowherd, or cow intimate. Other contemporary insults included milksüfer (milk drunkard), milchstinker, chuefigger (cow ****er), and chueschnäggler (cow snuggler). There was intense and bitter rivalry between Landsknechts and Swiss, largely because they competed for mercenary contracts.

On one occasion in February the Landsknechts were garrisoning a castle when they saw some Swiss mercs across the Rhine and taunted them with cow noises until the Swiss crossed the frigid river and burned down a nearby village. They later whipped an army sent to punish them, and the Swabian War began. Eventually the Swiss took the insult as a badge of honor, partly because they were the fiercest and most successful mercenaries in Europe for nearly a century, and the rest is history.

and here I was, under the impression that "Swiss" comes from "Schwyz", which became associated with Switzerland because Schwyzer were always on the front line...

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Microcentrifuge tube racks can be used to prop open doors by jamming them between the door and the frame.

 

[Tee Kay]

and here I was, under the impression that "Swiss" comes from "Schwyz", which became associated with Switzerland because Schwyzer were always on the front line...

Both are correct. Originally "Schwyz" was the name of that one canton, then adopted as an insult by Swabians that applied to all the cantons (kinda like if British people took such offense to being called "English" that it evolved into a full-blown slur), leading to the other cantons later adopting the name themselves.

 

[Goodfella]

Trupp.

TIL Trupp is a Jewish surname.

 

[cybrxkhan]

TIL Trupp is a Jewish surname.

I can't be 100% certain that that girl was/is Jewish, but given the evidence I am pretty sure she is, so yeah probably a Jewish surname. I believe it is also German, too, which makes sense given a number of surnames from Central and Eastern Europe are shared between (Christian) Germans and Jews, including some of the most stereotypically Jewish ones.

Hmm. Also seem to remember most males on my father's side have crushed on a Jewish girl at least once. Might be a Reoccuring pattern here...

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Height-velocity diagrams show safe and proper flight profiles for helicopters.

 

[Arakhor]

The name Beorn (from the Old English for 'bear'; also Björn and Bjørn) is indirectly related the noble title 'baron'. (Can't you tell that etymology amuses me?)

In other name-related stuff, Jørn, Jørgen and so on, are Nordic cognates of the name George. The saints get everywhere, guys!

 

[cybrxkhan]

TIL Jennifer Anniston is Greek. As in, more Greek than all of her ethnic origins combined. That puts her in a slightly different light for me.

Edit: today I also learned there is apparently a classical mythology fanfic community. And there are a lot of Hades/Persephone shippers

 

[Arakhor]

Well (a) I didn't know that and (b) I'm not the slightest bit surprised. I probably should be though.

 

[Goodfella]

I can't be 100% certain that that girl was/is Jewish, but given the evidence I am pretty sure she is, so yeah probably a Jewish surname. I believe it is also German, too, which makes sense given a number of surnames from Central and Eastern Europe are shared between (Christian) Germans and Jews, including some of the most stereotypically Jewish ones.

Hmm. Also seem to remember most males on my father's side have crushed on a Jewish girl at least once. Might be a Reoccuring pattern here...

Where did you grow up where 99% of white people were Jewish?

 

[cybrxkhan]

Today I learned that Estonian mythology fanfiction exists.

Where did you grow up where 99% of white people were Jewish?

It was around a few suburbs near Washington DC. There were a lot of upper-middle class Jews in the area, as well as upper-middle class Koreans and Chinese for the matter, but the Jews were the most numerous.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Experimenting on Jews and other undesirables is acceptable, but animal experimentation? That's just inhumane.

 

[Kyriakos]

TIL Jennifer Anniston is Greek. As in, more Greek than all of her ethnic origins combined. That puts her in a slightly different light for me.

Edit: today I also learned there is apparently a classical mythology fanfic community. And there are a lot of Hades/Persephone shippers

Iirc she was also somehow related to a less-good looking Greek/American (that Cojak guy :/ ).

 

[cybrxkhan]

TIL there is a term for "fanfiction" about real people (such as celebrities), "real person fiction". I guess that's what you'd call Obama/Clinton shipping.

Also, apparently the Bronte sisters wrote some sort of "real person fiction" revolving around the Duke of Wellington and his (real) sons when they were young.

 

[Zkribbler]

I'd be really leery about dabbing in real person fiction. It could open you up to lawsuits regarding defamation, false light, invasion of privacy, etc.

If I were to dabble in it, I'd make sure it was absolutely clear that the story is supposed to be fiction, i.e Obama and Clinton in their starships.

 

[cybrxkhan]

I'd be really leery about dabbing in real person fiction. It could open you up to lawsuits regarding defamation, false light, invasion of privacy, etc.

If I were to dabble in it, I'd make sure it was absolutely clear that the story is supposed to be fiction, i.e Obama and Clinton in their starships.

Real person fiction makes me very uneasy due to its nature of mostly dealing with, well, real people. Real person fiction about dead people, that's fine, but I suppose most folks would use the more acceptable term "historical fiction" there.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

When putting in screws with a power drill, it is best to drill in slow spurts.

 

[Nick Carpathia]

TIL that Jerry Lee Lewis courted so much controversy by marrying his 13 year old cousin at the age of 22 that he went from playing $10,000 concert halls to $250 dollar a night dive bars. (en.wikipedia.org)

1568 comments

oh what ever could they ever be talking about on reddit?????

 

[bhsup]

Did you also know (possibly more TIL for ya) that he had two cousins he grew up with who are quite well known in their own right? Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart.