You know that band Incubus? Ever wonder what it means? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary it means an evil spirit that lies on persons in their sleep; especially : one that has sexual intercourse with women while they are sleeping or one that oppresses or burdens like a nightmare.
Makes you wonder doesn't it...
You know how back in the day the wagon the police used to carry prisoners was called a paddy wagon? Well, a paddy is a derogatory term for the Irish. Is this a stereotypical reflection on the Irish being drunken prisoners or because in the 19th century they were the only ones who would take the job of police officer?
You know how rednecks/hillbillies are always portrayed as having tons of junk in the yard? But have you ever wondered why? Well, for decades, people in the rural south had absolutely nothing and little money for the things they did need, so everything they had, they kept, just in case. They kept old cars in case they needed a spare part for the working car, they kept old cans in case they needed tin or a container. The habit of keeping things was passed on to each generation and became a piece of American stereotype.
Did you know that the Bikini Island (where they tested nuclear weapons) is actually pronounced bic-in-ee? And that the island of Kiribati is pronounced keer-e-bahs?
And did you know that the traditional tataus of the Maori in New Zealand (or Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud) were literally carved into the skin, rather than merely being ink tapped into the skin, like other islands and today's tattoos?
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