how did prehensile come to mean greedy?
152184
I've not come across that usage of 'prehensile', but I guess it's metaphorical in the way that greedy people are considered to be grabbing everything they can.
1103730
He gave a huge clue: LOVE.\n\nThis means, fortunate societies need to help less fortunate ones. This means the rich needs to sacrifice some of their time for the poors. This means the advantaged need to care for disadvantaged.
1083659
Its in human nature to be self-centered and greedy most of the time..... especially in the US.....  i would assume the people in power would ask, "Whats in it for me?"
1185978
its come from the old english word 'butter', which means to 'spread out' and the word 'fly' which means to 'fly'.
556787
I'm sure that predates history.  \n\nThe word "ramp":\n1778, "slope," from Fr. rampe, back-formation from O.Fr. verb ramper "to climb, creep" (12c.), perhaps from Frank. *rampon "to contract oneself" (cf. O.H.G. rimpfan "to wrinkle," O.E. hrimpan "to fold, wrinkle"
333562
Usually it refers to people who lived before the sack of Rome in the early 5th century AD. It's very non-specific, though, and the precise meaning depends upon the context.
95135
Hi bigslow,\nI think it's just another way to confuse someone. Good Luck: Blueladybug
1099471
You have the expression wrong.  It's "Cast pearls before swine." \n\nThat means, don't waste good stuff on people who cannot appreciate it.
108597
see the greedy answer
99073
During the 'brown period' (betweeen 11 BC and 9 BC), caves were filled with shit and puke. Man tried everything including cooking, which cured the shits for good. BTW, that was also the origin of the word "BINGO!"
1145250
Because they are lazy yet greedy
1128156
It means they were desperate
848712
I would agree with you; the word by its very nature is plural. It's ridiculous to try to make it more so. Perhaps if you were threatened or heavily bribed, you *might* be able to make the word redundantly plural. \n\nHow, then, should you go about this distasteful task? I would suggest looking at the etymology of the word. "Surplus" comes from several sources. I chose to look at the Latin roots: "super" (meaning "over") + "plus" (meaning "more"). After some contemplation of the problem, I at last came to one conclusion--the only possible one, I believe, considering the Latin. For of course, the only logical pluralization of surplus...is "surpli."
934538
It doesn't just mean that. It means being tight with money, miserable about money, cynical about charity etc etc.\nAny miserly person.
5307
Hypotenuse comes from the common Greek root hypo(for under, as in hypodermic -under the skin) and the less common tein or ten, for stretch. This last is the source of our modern word tension. The hypotenuse was the line segment "stretched under" the right angle.
1171135
Thats hard... What is it all? Is "it all" before today? Well, then you have yesterday... Year, last year... Its kinda vauge... Before Creation? Maybe nothing, Maybe the first Atom, (atomic particle thingy)  Maybe negative-space? Who knows? Not me... Do you?
534929
This expression, meaning "be very careful to behave correctly",\nhas been in use from the 17th century on.  Theories include:  an\nadmonishment to children learning to write; an admonishment to\ntypesetters (who had to look at the letters reversed); an\nadmonishment to seamen not to soil their navy pea-jackets with\ntheir tarred "queues" (pigtails); "mind your pints and quarts";\n"mind your prices and quality"; "mind your pieds and queues"\n(either feet and pigtails, or two dancing figures that had to be\naccurately performed); the substitution of /p/ for "qu" /kw/ in the\nspeech of uneducated ancient Romans; or the confusion by students\nlearning both Latin and Ancient Greek of such cognates as _pente_\nand _quintus_.  And yes, we've heard the joke about the instruction\nto new sextons:  "Mind your keys and pews."