Friday, April 19, 2013

"Q" is for Quick

Before it was the trade name of check-balancing software and a loan company, "quicken" was a real word, though one rarely seen.

My first and only encounter with it was in the context of formal, corporate prayers said in church services. "Quicken our hearts, we pray" was a common phrase, one I liked, but it seemed a bit odd. Make our hearts beat faster?

No, make our hearts alive, as in Ezekiel 36:26.  I later learned that before it was another way to say fast, quick meant living.

The Quick and the Dead isn't just a clever title for a western flick.  The phrase originates in three passages in the King James version of the New Testament and is well known from the Apostles Creed.  In all those instances it refers to Jesus judging the living and the dead.  In the movie title then, we, and undoubtedly the film's creators, recognize the double meaning, but the two meanings amount to the same thing; quick means alive - especially for a gunfighter.

Other words begin to make sense when we know the archaic meaning of quick.  The quick is the living tissue under the fingernail, and where we get the phrase "cut to the quick."  Yeah, it hurts. Quicksand seems to trap its victim with purpose, like a living predator.  And to anyone who has ever rolled mercury around in their hand (back before such a reckless act would have the hazmat squad whisking you into quarantine and stretching yellow caution ribbon around your house), it's easy to understand why quicksilver isn't just the name of a totally awesome Kevin Bacon movie.


18 comments:

  1. Thanks, Jerry. This was fascinating. I love words and knowing about where they originated and how they're used. xoA

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  2. I know you do, me too. Like you, I love Greek and Latin roots. I don't fully know either language, but I know enough to where I can tell where a lot of our words come from. Like "corporate" prayer - (sounds weird - does the CEO lead it and does the secretary take minutes?) unless you know the Latin root corpus, or body. Group prayer. I'll say it again, I always get a kick out of knowing you like one of my posts.

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  3. Very cool info. Who knew the letter "Q" could inspire so much information about the English language. Great post.

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  4. Thanks. I'm just relieved I could think of something for "Q."

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  5. Some of these things hadn't occurred to me. I do like the music of the group "Quicksilver Messenger Service".

    Now you've passed 10 followers and I'm sure you'll pick up more as the Challenge progresses.

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Thanks, Lee.

      I did think about the band but didn't manage to work them into the post.

      Thanks for all the hard work you and your teammates have been putting into the Challenge. It's been a great couple of weeks.

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  6. Interesting. Maybe it was from a time when the quick stayed alive?


    Sonia Lal

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    1. According to Dictionary.com before 900, variants in Old English, Saxon and Old Norse meant "living" and it was in Middle English that it took on the meaning lively or fast moving.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Yes Lord, make our hearts alive.
    I think the prevalence of zombie movies in our day stems from many people feeling like they are just going through the motions. Plus there is an endless attack of never ending things to be done.

    Enjoyed your post.
    Blessings, Margot

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    1. Thanks, Margot. I'd never thought about zombies that way, but it makes a lot of sense. And yes, may the Lord quicken our hearts daily.

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  8. Great post. He said to let the dead bury their dead, but the living to be about their duty on Earth.

    Chontali Kirk
    chontalikirk.blogspot.com


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    1. Thanks, Chontali, and great reference.

      I'm really enjoying your superb blog, learning a lot about some great Americans whose stories have been neglected.

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  9. I trust you do not run into any people with mercurial temperaments. And early on, when reading your post, I thought of the Apostles' Creed. Strange how some minds work in tandem.

    For the record, I did use Quicken bookkeeping.

    Happy A-Z time!

    Blessings and Bear hugs!
    Bears Noting

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    1. Well, I sometimes resemble that remark, or as my wife says, I'm a "moody booger." Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Well, that was fascinating. I'd never really questioned expressions like "cut to the quick" before. Sometimes you hear a phrase so often, you just accept it without questioning its oddness. I love that expression "quicken our hearts," especially now that I know what it really means.

    You're always dishing out the food for thought, Jer, and thank you for that!

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    1. Thanks, Kern. Glad you liked it, though I'm surprised I managed to get it done, with all the fine procrastination strategies you've been sharing.

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  11. Oh, so that's what "cut to the quick" means! This is informative! Great theme!

    Deecoded

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  12. It's funny how we learn things. If I'd never read the Apostles Creed, I'd never have become this fount of very important facts.

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