The other good thing about berm is that the only people who use it are mediaevalists, military engineers, Pink Panther obsessives, and New Zealanders.
But just think, if all of them get together...
...ah, but let's face it, it's never going to happen.
Phew.
When a New Zealander uses the word berm he means the mown grass verge of a suburban street. When a mediaevalist uses berm he means a narrow ledge between a moat and a rampart; a military engineer's berm is a ridge of sand designed to expose the soft(ish) underbelly of a tank; and a Pink Panther obsessive's berm...
The Pink Panther from the Region 2 DVD ''The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection'', released in 2004 by MGM Home Ent. (Europe) Ltd.
...is a result of being really very silly indeed.
Word Not To Use Today: berm. This word comes from the Old French berme, from the Dutch berm, and probably from the Old Norse barmr, which means brim.
They all sound like places you'd never want to be: the freshly mown verge (allergies), the ledge (a really rubbish place to be if you're an attacker or defender) and the sand thingy (getting run over by a tank that *then* gets stuck on top of you).
ReplyDeleteAll of these would be an absolute bermer.
Brilliant! Thanks, Ed.
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