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Can We Help?: Words and sayings over time

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Presenters sit on set, text overlay reads "What is the origin of the phrase 'Good bye'? Why is it 'Bye' and why is it 'Good'?"
Can We Help?: Words and sayings over time

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  5–6


Have you ever wondered where sayings like 'hanging by the skin of your teeth' come from?

Professor Kate Burridge explains the origin and meaning of this saying.

She also explains the opposite word (antonym) to 'misogynist' (someone who hates or has a long and deep prejudice against women) and the origins of the word 'goodbye'.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Have you ever heard the saying, 'hanging by the skin of your teeth'? What explanation might there be for saying it when teeth don't have skin? What do you think it means? Where do you think it originated?
  2. 2.What are the origins of the phrase 'hanging by the skin of your teeth'? What did it mean? When did the word 'misogyny' appear? When did the opposite (antonym) for this word appear? What are the origins of 'goodbye'? What happened to the original phrase? What other examples are given?
  3. 3.How has the original phrase for 'hanging by the skin of your teeth' changed? How has this affected the meaning? 'Misogyny' and 'misandry' are opposites (antonyms) but they both include the Greek word 'mis'. What does 'mis' mean? Why does Professor Burridge think the phrase 'God be with you' was shortened to 'goodbye'?
  4. 4.As Professor Burridge has explained, 'misogyny' and 'misandry' are antonyms. Do some research to create a list of ten words that have an antonym. Test your friends and family and see if they know the antonyms for each of the words on your list.



Date of broadcast: 16 May 2008


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