Ahh, flowers – how can anyone not like them? Beauty expressed in so many forms, used for so many things, all at the same time as being something so delicate that a simple touch or whiff from one can almost bring joy to the heart and balance to the Force.
Orchids in particular are exceptionally beautiful and among the most popular household plants. It has been argued that one reason for the popularity of orchids is the fact that they are symmetrical in the same way as a human face, so that “when someone looks at an orchid, it looks back at you” (Kramer, M., 2013). However, people do not usually talk about orchids and gentlemen’s private parts in the same breath, and typically not in the same way, despite the fact that the word orchid means testicle.
The reason is simple; the English word orchid has its roots in the Greek word orchis, which means testicle. This may seem strange, but this species of plant was indeed given its name because of how its roots resemble, well… you get the picture! Arguably, these flowers are somewhat better suited for public display than a man’s bollocks, but at least now you know that reference could very well be made to either one if someone says e.g. that they like to spend Sundays looking at orchids in the park 🙂
Good to know!
References:
Forsyth, M., 2011. The Etymologicon. Icon Books Ltd.: London.
Kramer, M., 2013. 5 Surprising facts about testicles. Live Science [online]. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
Photo credits:
- Pixabay/ Creative Commons.
- Pexels/ Creative Commons.
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