Why does mum mean quiet?

Mum in the sense of “silent” comes from the Middle English word momme, which is probably imitative of the sound that a closed mouth makes. Go ahead—try it.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


Does mum mean mute?

adjective silent, quiet, dumb, mute, secretive, uncommunicative, unforthcoming, tight-lipped, closemouthed I'd be in trouble if I let on. So I kept mum.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on thefreedictionary.com


Why do the English say mum?

The word "mum" is an alteration of momme, which was used between 1350 and 1400 in Middle English with very close to the same meaning, "be silent; do not reveal".
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


What does mum mean in England?

"Mom" and "mum" mean "mother", but "mam" means "ma'am" -- "madam".
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on ell.stackexchange.com


Why do British people say bloody?

Don't worry, it's not a violent word… it has nothing to do with “blood”.”Bloody” is a common word to give more emphasis to the sentence, mostly used as an exclamation of surprise. Something may be “bloody marvellous” or “bloody awful“. Having said that, British people do sometimes use it when expressing anger…
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on blog.busuu.com


"I Hate You!" 6Yr Old Screams At Mom | Supernanny



What is Dad stand for?

DAD is the acronym given to bad surgeons meaning, death and destruction.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on collinsdictionary.com


Why do Americans say zee?

Others argue that zee follows the rhyme pattern of the “Alphabet Song” — copyrighted in Boston in 1835 — making the song, and the alphabet, easier to learn. Zee became the American standard.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on thecanadianencyclopedia.ca


Is mum or mom correct?

Mom is the American English version. Mum is the British English version.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on writingexplained.org


Do Africans say mum?

Global usage. These TweetMaps show that, as expected, 'mum' is used predominantly in the UK. It is also used in India and South Africa, both of which were once British colonies.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on unravellingmag.com


What does yes mum mean?

What does yes ma'am mean? Yes ma'am is a polite way of affirming something an older or superior woman has said, often used to show sass or excitement in response to something more generally.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is the opposite of mum?

Opposite of a woman in relation to her child or children. father. dad. daddy.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on wordhippo.com


Why is mom and mum difference?

The difference between “mum” and “mom” is the same as the one between “colour” and “color”—the former is used predominantly in British English (and in other Commonwealth nations) and the latter in American English.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on jakubmarian.com


What is the meaning of num?

Num definition

(grammar) Abbreviation of numeral. noun. 2. 1. Abbreviation of number.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on yourdictionary.com


How do Northerners say caramel?

Jamie also shared a pronunciation map of the U.S. put together in 2013 by Joshua Katz of North Carolina State's department of statistics, showing that the “car-mel” pronunciation dominates the western and northern part of the nation, while “car-uh-mel” starts in southeast Texas and slowly slides diagonally up the ...
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on thedailymeal.com


Why do Americans say period?

In 19th-century texts, both British English and American English were consistent in their usage of the terms period and full stop. The word period was used as a name for what printers often called the "full point", the punctuation mark that was a dot on the baseline and used in several situations.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Why do British say in hospital?

Why do British people say hospital instead of a hospital/ the hospital? "Why" is maybe not the best question. What that particular usage means is that in that dialect the word hospital can be used to refer to something intangible and/or unquantifiable, so the state of being in a hospital or the concept of medical care.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on reddit.com


How do you say dad in slang?

synonyms for dad
  1. old man.
  2. papa.
  3. parent.
  4. daddy.
  5. pa.
  6. pop.
  7. pappy.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on thesaurus.com


What does homework stand for?

Product Description. Homework stands for "Half Of My energy Wasted On Random Knowledge".
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on amazon.com


What does Daddy mean in slang?

slang the dominant male in a group; boss; top man.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


Is Frick a swear word?

I know there are certain individuals who think c r a p is a swear word (even though it really isn't), but “frick” isn't a swear word by any sense of the meaning of “swear word”. No one is going to get offended by someone saying “frick”. If someone says “Frick”, they aren't going to start World War 3.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on scratch.mit.edu