Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2013 December 25

= December 25 =

evolution quote
Hello, I just came across the saying that goes something like (I'm translating from German) "those who don't lose their mind over certain things have no mind to lose in the first place". It's from Emilia Galotti by Lessing. (The German Wikiquote page on him notes that Lessing, being versed in Spanish literature, must have come up with this line thanks to Balthasar Gracian's "Muchos por faltos de sentido, no le pierden" ("many don't lose their mind because they have none".)

My question is, I dimly remember there was a quote to that same effect by some naturalist (Haeckel?) in the context of evolution, but I can't "yahoogle" it up. Does someone by chance know what that quote was? Asmrulz (talk) 03:19, 25 December 2013 (UTC)
 * There is a quote by Ernst Haeckel also quoted here with a slightly different wording that could fit in here. On this page it is quoted, illustrated and translated. --Pp.paul.4 (talk) 21:53, 25 December 2013 (UTC)

Troll the Halls
In the carol Deck the Halls, what does "troll" mean? RNealK (talk) 07:43, 25 December 2013 (UTC)
 * "Troll the ancient Yuletide carols", using "troll" as in "sing", is centuries old: ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 07:49, 25 December 2013 (UTC)


 * ...and if you sing them with purple hair, sticking straight up, all the better. :-) StuRat (talk) 14:21, 25 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Readers of this page may find this article from mental_floss interesting: "6 Grammar Points to Watch Out For in Christmas Songs" (though I question whether the meaning of troll is really a grammar point). — SMUconlaw (talk) 09:59, 27 December 2013 (UTC)
 * One they missed was "Don we now our gay apparel", which has been a joke double meaning since at least the 1960s. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 11:58, 27 December 2013 (UTC)
 * — SMUconlaw (talk) 11:59, 28 December 2013 (UTC)
 * OED defines troll as "To sing (something) in the manner of a round or catch; to sing in a full, rolling voice; to chant merrily or jovially", and suggests a derivation from another meaning of the word, "To cause to pass from one to another, hand round among the company present". The etymology of the word (or series of words) is said to be "uncertain" but generally derived from the Old French troller, a hunting term meaning "to quest, to go in quest of game, without purpose". There's a delightful quotation from Sir Walter Scott's poem Rokeby (1813): "But, hark! our merry-men so gay / Troll forth another roundelay." Which brings us nicely back to our gay apparel in Deck the Halls. — SMUconlaw (talk) 12:09, 28 December 2013 (UTC)

sleeping position
If two people share one bed and sleep with their heads toward opposite directions in order to save space, is there any term or specific expression to describe the sleeping position? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 1.202.187.153 (talk) 08:41, 25 December 2013 (UTC)


 * I've always used "top and tail" for this BbBrock (talk) 10:34, 25 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Swedish has the word skavfötters, which means precisely this (and nothing else). /176.10.249.240 (talk) 14:08, 25 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Norwegian also has a word which means exactly this and nothing else: "andføttes" (sometimes spelled "anføttes"). --14:33, 25 December 2013 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.189.65.217 (talk)


 * Wiktionary calls it "head to toe". --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:55, 25 December 2013 (UTC)


 * I never understood that sleep position. I sure wouldn't want my face near somebody else's feet while I try to sleep. StuRat (talk) 22:58, 26 December 2013 (UTC)


 * We used to do it when we were small, especially when visiting friends or relatives. There's plenty of room in a single bed for two small children. And we called it "top and tail" too. --Nicknack009 (talk) 23:02, 26 December 2013 (UTC)

What is the Arabic for the Lycee Cheikh Bouamama in Algiers?
What is the Arabic for the Lycee Cheikh Bouamama in Algiers? I want to see if I can find a website on it and/or write an article about it.

Thanks, WhisperToMe (talk) 20:54, 25 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Seems to be "ثانوية الشيخ بوعمامة". Adam Bishop (talk) 02:50, 26 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Thank you! WhisperToMe (talk) 08:48, 26 December 2013 (UTC)