Question: Can you explain the difference between sorbet and gelato and how are they different from ice cream? Have these words been around for a long time?
- N.M., Laurel, Md.
Answer: Gelato and sorbet are both frozen desserts. The word "gelato" means "frozen" in Italian. Its earliest recorded use in English dates to 1929. "Gelato" describes a kind of Italian ice cream that has a higher butterfat content and is denser than American ice cream. It comes in a variety of concentrated natural flavors, including banana, coconut and lemon. Gelato contains little or no air, and this makes its texture creamier and its flavor more intense than that of typical ice cream.
The word "sorbet" has its origins in Turkish, as does its close relative "sherbet." (Both of these words can be traced ultimately to the Arabic word "sharbah," meaning "drink.") "Sorbet" denotes fruit-flavored ice served as a dessert or between courses as a palate refresher. It was recorded in English sources as early as 1864.
Question: I was watching an old TV show the other day, and one of the characters used the word "groovy." It got me wondering: Where did the word come from and how old is it? Also, does anybody use it anymore?
- K. L., Biloxi, Miss.
Answer: The word "groovy" meaning "marvelous, wonderful, or excellent" is older than you might think: we first found it in a 1947 issue of Time magazine. Prior to that, the American slang word "groovy" was applied specifically to music, particularly jazz. In its musical sense, it means the same thing as "in a groove," the phrase from which it derives.
The phrase "in a groove" was first recorded in the early 1930s, when it was used to describe musicians who were playing particularly well.
From its specialized musical beginnings, the word "groovy" acquired a generalized sense describing anything good. It later came to be used specifically to describe something or someone cool or hip, a sense not far removed from the sense of general approval.
"Groovy" became strongly associated with the culture and language of the 1960s. That association means that for most people it now has the outdated quality of old slang. It is still in use despite the repeated sounding of its death knell throughout the last two decades. A large percentage of its use now, however, is self-conscious, drawing attention to the idea that the term is out-of-date.
Question: Would you explain why we say "on a shoestring" when we are talking about doing something with very little money?
- F.S., Cambridge, Mass.
Answer: Shoestrings were at one time among the inexpensive items that were sold by itinerant vendors. It was apparently through their association with such vendors, as well as their inherent flimsiness, that they acquired the connotations of cheapness which are reflected in the phrase "on a shoestring." This phrase is an Americanism that was first recorded in 1904. It was regarded as slang early in this century, but it has now passed into standard usage.
The "inexpensive" connotations of shoestrings have also produced an adjectival use of "shoestring" in the sense "operating on, accomplished by, or consisting of a small amount of money or capital," as in "a shoestring budget" or "a shoestring vacation."