The sardonic sardine
The Volokh Conspiracy 2017-11-10
Summary:
Something I just learned: “sardonic” and “sardine” are etymologically related. “Sardine,” unsurprisingly, appears to be related to the island of Sardinia, near which sardines were often fished. (The Oxford English Dictionary cautiously says they “may” be related, but the American Heritage is more confident.) And “sardonic” also relates to Sardinia, because of a Sardinian plant […]