�Boustrophedon�
At first glance this word appears to be Greek in origin, but those of you who are widely travelled will know that it does not appear on a Greek menu! �Chy may lim-oh-nay stoh bal-konay?� (�Tea, with lemon, on the balcony?�) Yes! But the word: �Boustrophedon�? Never!
I did not write, above, using the Greek alphabet because, as a child, I had a bad linguistic experience. My Maths teacher made a drawing of a Greek pie, which looked like this Π. To me, it appeared very unappetising and had no meat in it.
I soon realised why he taught Maths and not English. He could not spell �pie�, but spelled it �pi�. Moreover, he persisted in drawing a circle, (which does look like a British pie), and then he would say: �Pie are square�.
Even though I was very young, I was quite good at English. He should have said: �A pie is round� or �Pies are round�, not �Pie are square�.
However, I didn�t contradict him! I knew that he was an active member of the British Association of Sadistic Teachers Administering Regular Degradation, and he had a cane (a bamboo stick), which he used on a regular basis. Perhaps I should make it clear that the �basis� on which he regularly used the cane, was the �bottom� of some unfortunate boy.
It wasn�t until I was 27, and I left school, that I uncovered the mystery. A friend told me that he was actually attempting to teach the formula for the area of a circle, ( Π r2 ).
So, as I say, I can confirm categorically that this isn�t a word of Greek origin.
�What language is it?� you ask (if you are still awake). This ignorance is a clear indication that you have not read the marvellous text-book by Professor Ivor Nachzent, of Berlin, edited by his Turkish wife, Donna Keebab.
The title gives us a clue: �Time flies like an arrow --- but fruit flies like a banana�.
In Chapter 47, the Professor reveals the many anomalies in the English language.
He poses such penetrating questions as: �Why is �abbreviation� a very long word?� �Is there another word for �synonym�?� and �Why does �monosyllabic� have five syllables?�
In Chapter 93, �Sheep or Sleep�, he lists the many reasons why national groups mispronounce English words. The largest group is, of course, the English themselves.
Based on his clear evidence, Boust rop hed on is an attempt by a male Spanish speaker to say the words �bust�; �ropa�; �head�; �on�.
�Ropa� is Spanish for �clothing�, and the quick-witted will have noticed that the �ropa� is �not complete�, that part of it has been removed! I don�t wish to elaborate, because there may be children reading this Forum, but you get the general idea.
�Boustrophedon� = �A very amorous embrace�.
