So I was reading this:
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Craig Wilson was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a fractured left pinky.
Wilson, who has had just 96 at-bats this season, was hit on the hand by a pitch from Chicago Cubs starter Greg Maddux in the first inning of Saturday’s 3-0 victory and left the game.
And for no particular reason, I found the appearance of the word ‘pinky’ in a news report amusing. Then I realized I did not know why the little finger is called the pinky. Google to the rescue:
Actually, pinkie `little finger’ comes from an early Dutch word which meant `small;’ that word was pinck. The Dutch word is also the source of English pink `pale red,’ because pinck was what the Dutch called a flower of the species Dianthus, which has small, often pink flowers with pinked edges.
Interesting.
Halffasthero
Enough about the Pirates…so, did the Vikings trade their way to the Superbowl or are we doing the 2nd verse, just like the first? (credit: Herman’s Hermits)
I like their defense now – even thought they gave up Moss who – I am told – Oakland gave up an arm and a leg for with their draft picks and Napolian Harris.
Vlad
As a Pirate fan, I found the news a little less amusing.
Jay C
I’m sure the news was less than amusing to Craig Wilson: whatever the etymological derivation of the term, a fracture of the fourth finger, whether called the “pinky” or something else, is certainly NOT a trivial injury: especially to a MLB ballplayer. For shame.
smijer
That info corrects me where I was mistaken before. Dianthus are sometimes sold under the common name of “pinks” in the U.S., which I assumed was derived from the color of their flowers. According to this info, however, I had the etymology of the words reversed… That’s something interesting.