505: blink and belch Apr 26, 2016

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Some words, generally simpler ideas, are necessary in any language and though they may change over time, they remain more or less the same, such as 'mother' 'tree' or 'yes'. It would seem that bodily functions must be on the list of simple things, but they can be deceptive. To blink is to shut, and reopen the eyes, but the word's early senses included ‘deceive,’ ‘flinch’ or quite specifically, ‘open the eyes after sleep’. The word itself was a Scots-variation of 'blench', which carried may of the same meanings, except for those of burping, as we think today.

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