vocabulary update, vehicle edition
by Carolinethe word ribbon likely comes from ribband, which is a ship term. rib-band.
volkswagen’s convertible models are usually known as cabrios, a word short for cabriolet — a kind of carriage, labeled from the word for a dancey leap because of its springy bouncy motion.
and in other volkswagen etymologies, their grossly ridiculous suv — the touareg — shares its name with the french spelling for the tuareg people. the tuareg live scattered across northern and western africa. many wear dark, dark indigo cloth wrapped around their faces, and often have skin dyed blue as a result.
finally, because gary sent me a copy of his school’s publication chimera, i stopped when i saw that word in a story. damn, it has a million different meanings.
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