After seeing the word "moped" used in a few posts here, I got to thinking where the word comes from. What I reckon is motor+pedestrian, as they are motorised and relatively pedestrian. Or perhaps pedes, i.e. feet, hence the legal requirement for pedals in the past.
But then I thought "Don't US dictionaries spell most Greek words with an E in place of the correct AE?"
So "pedophile" surely means one who has a love of feet? One to bare in mind next time you hear this word, they might just be talking about someone who loves the smell of socks rather than one who demands to know if you want to be in their gang, their gang, their gang.
By the same corruption, does the word "moped" in the US mean "motorised child"? Perhaps similar to a "robo-sapien" (note to parents, you will probably be asked for one of these for Christmas, but don't worry, they are great fun and freak the hell out of cats!)
Of course, the lexicologists among you will point out that paedo is of greek origin and pedes is of latin origin, but both cultures turned out noted poets, so I feel entitled to some poetic licence!
But then I thought "Don't US dictionaries spell most Greek words with an E in place of the correct AE?"
So "pedophile" surely means one who has a love of feet? One to bare in mind next time you hear this word, they might just be talking about someone who loves the smell of socks rather than one who demands to know if you want to be in their gang, their gang, their gang.
By the same corruption, does the word "moped" in the US mean "motorised child"? Perhaps similar to a "robo-sapien" (note to parents, you will probably be asked for one of these for Christmas, but don't worry, they are great fun and freak the hell out of cats!)
Of course, the lexicologists among you will point out that paedo is of greek origin and pedes is of latin origin, but both cultures turned out noted poets, so I feel entitled to some poetic licence!