The wish for another’s tongue to cleave to the roof of his mouth has always puzzled me. An object that is cleft is split into two parts. Cleavage means separation. Separation between one’s tongue and the roof of one’s mouth is the ordinary state of affairs.
There are two distinct English words, both spelled “cleave” and pronounced identically. One means “split”, and one means “join together”.
I say that they are distinct words because they have significantly different etymological histories-according to Merriam-Webster, at least:
* one comes from “Middle English clevien, from Old English clifian; akin to Old High German kleben to stick”,
* the other comes from “Middle English cleven, from Old English clēofan; akin to Old Norse kljūfa to split, Latin glubere to peel, Greek glyphein to carve”.
Note the difference between “clifian” and “cleofan”, but also note how they might tend to run together.
May he grow like an onion. With his head in the ground and his feet in the air.
“A cholera soll ihn treffen.”
May a love sick diseased rhinoceros look upon him as an object of sexual desire.
A choleryeh aft zein.
Okay, it’s pretty much what Bernard Yomtov said. But it was on my mind when I opened the comments box. So I’ll add a hearty:
Gain in drerd arein!
The wish for another’s tongue to cleave to the roof of his mouth has always puzzled me. An object that is cleft is split into two parts. Cleavage means separation. Separation between one’s tongue and the roof of one’s mouth is the ordinary state of affairs.
Cleave is an auto-antonym. Like sanction.
May he never remember what the heck he came into the kitchen to do.
There are two distinct English words, both spelled “cleave” and pronounced identically. One means “split”, and one means “join together”.
I say that they are distinct words because they have significantly different etymological histories-according to Merriam-Webster, at least:
* one comes from “Middle English clevien, from Old English clifian; akin to Old High German kleben to stick”,
* the other comes from “Middle English cleven, from Old English clēofan; akin to Old Norse kljūfa to split, Latin glubere to peel, Greek glyphein to carve”.
Note the difference between “clifian” and “cleofan”, but also note how they might tend to run together.
Thanks, Kevin! May your tongue always move freely.
http://www.creators.com/comics/one-big-happy/66946.html