The "fish" in "crayfish" has nothing to do with fish. There's no pig in "piggyback," and no cat snoozes in "cat's cradle." Let's take a look at words that seem to be derived from animals but aren't.

When Middle English speakers adopted the Old French word "crevise" pronounced "cray-veece") for a breed of freshwater crustacean, they e"fish"iently turned its second syllable into a familiar word: "fish." "Hey," they reasoned, "the thing lives in the water, right?" And so "crevise" became "crayfish."

Speaking of fish, a certain group of predatory sharks are called "requiem sharks," not because their attacks on humans can lead to funeral requiems, but because English mouths chewed up the French word for shark, "requin," and spit it out as a word they knew, "requiem." Talk about jaws!

The notion that "piggyback" comes from "pig" is also hogwash. "Piggyback" is a corruption of the 16th-century terms "pick back" and "pick pack," which referred either to a pack pitched ("picked") onto a back, or to a back onto which the pack was pitched.

Got that? Me neither. Given this linguistic cat's cradle, it's no wonder people found it easier to simply say "piggyback."

And speaking of "cat's cradle," this children's game of stretching strings in various patterns between the hands was probably first called "cratch" or "cratch-cradle." "Cratch" was an old word for a rack or manger. Though perhaps a kitten might be able to lounge in such a small, flimsy bed, the term has no connection to felines.

Two other mistaken etymologies are for the birds. Our word "lark" for a joyful frolic arose from a mispronunciation of the Scottish "lake," meaning "play, sport." It has nothing to do with the name of the bird, which comes from the Old English word "laverke."

Likewise, the verb "quail," meaning to recoil or cower, comes from the Middle Dutch word "quelen" (to suffer, be ill) and has nothing to do with the bird "quail," from Middle Latin "quaccola," most likely derived from the bird's cry.

Finally, the idea that the "husky" dog is named for its sturdy build is pure mush. "Husky" is a variant of "Eskimo," who, by the way, prefer to be called "Inuit." It's easy to see how these sled dogs used by "Eskimos" were named for their owners, just as "police dogs" are.

By the way, the husky who represents the University of Connecticut is the only team mascot I know of based on a pun (UConn/Yukon). If you can think of any others, please let me know.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His new book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: luow at Pixabay