Question: One publication I read regularly, a U.S. edition of a British magazine, frequently uses the word "whinge." I assume it's British English for "whine," but I'd like to know for sure. And how is it pronounced?
Answer: You're right: "whinge" (pronounced to rhyme with "hinge") does mean "whine," and it is British. And it's not merely a British variant, but a different word with a different history.In Middle English, "whinge" was "whingen," a northern dialect version of the Old English word "hwinsian." "Whingen" and "hwinsian" were verbs used to mean "to wail or moan discontentedly," a sense applicable to animals as well as people.
"Whine," on the other hand, is traced to a different Old English word, "hwinan," a word that referred only to sound. It meant "to whiz," that is, to make a humming or whirring sound (the sound of an arrow, for example).
In the 13th century, by which time "hwinan" had become Middle English "hwyne," it too meant "to wail distressfully," but the emphasis was still more on the sound of the wailing than on the distress. Not until the 16th century could "whine" mean simply "to complain," a sense in which the whining tone was implied if not required. And today, of course, "whine" carries two meanings, one denoting only the making of the sound ("a whining bullet"), the other referring to complaining peevishly ("stop your whining"). "Whinge" meanwhile, has retained its original sense of "to wail or complain," with the emphasis somewhat stronger on the discontentment behind the complaint than on its tone.
Most of the time, the verb "whine" could be substituted anywhere "whinge" is used, although in some American contexts the word of choice might instead be "complain," as in "small firms whinge that bigger ones get most of the concessions." In any case, on the whole even British publications prefer "whine" to "whinge." Occasionally both words are used together ("whingeing and whining that they are victims of the system"). Note that when "-ing" is added to "whinge," the "e" is not dropped.
Question: Please explain the origin of the word "scuttlebutt," as used in the Navy to mean "gossip."
Answer: "Scuttlebutt" in its oldest sense names a cask containing fresh water for a day's use aboard a ship. "Butt" is an old synonym for "cask," and "scuttle" means here "a small hole," so that "scuttlebutt" appropriately describes a cask with a hole through which water can be drawn for drinking.
The use of "scuttlebutt" to mean "gossip or rumor" derives from the practice of sailors congregating around the water cask and exchanging gos-sip, in much the same way that office workers are known to converse around the company water-cooler. The earliest record of "scuttlebutt" in its literal sense is from 1805, while the earliest record of its figurative sense is from 1901.