Okay,
we know COINKYDINK (co-inky-dink) is not a real
word – but we also react to the cutesy coined term with a knowing chuckle.
Today’s
Wordplay Wednesday #22 falls on the 22nd day of July. Coinkydink? Do you believe in coincidences?
COINCIDENCE (kō inꞋ sɘ dɘns; aka
COINKYDINK) n. accidental and
remarkable occurrence of events or ideas at the same time, suggesting but
lacking a causal relationship. [Causal,
m’dears, not casual. Oooooh, so
close.]
Deviating
from our usual unusual words list, coincidence is an interesting expression
to explore, and more controversial than you might think, for one so ingrained
in the English language. Are we tempting the hand of fate? ...
Some
would call it fate,
happenstance, or even synchronicity.
“Synchronicity is an ever present reality for those who have eyes to see.” Carl Jung, 1875-1961.
In a quick online
search (yeah, I know, not exactly scientific), confusion reigns over its origin
and absolute definition, and apparently there is no word for coincidence in Hebrew …? (Someone with
real knowledge care to comment?)
Yet,
according to GotQuestions.org
it is said to come from biblical times. “The word coincidence is used only once in the New Testament, and it
was by Jesus Himself in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In Luke 10:31, Jesus said, ‘And by a coincidence a certain priest was going down in that way, and having
seen him, he passed over on the opposite side.’ The word coincidence is
translated from the Greek word synkyrian, which is a combination of two
words: sun and kurios. Sun means ‘together with,’ and kurious
means ‘supreme in authority.’”
As the mathematicians
and scientists among you will attest, although the current meaning is somewhat
abstract, coincidences have a long
history in mathematical elements.
The American Journal of Philology
addressed “The History of Coincide and
Coincidence,” in its first year of publication. Suggesting that these words
originated in philosophy, “… seem to have passed into the vocabulary of
scholarly English writers during the first half of the XVII century, and at a
time almost coincident with this,
that is during the great revival of mathematical study in England …”
The
Journal’s article followed its
mathematical journey through the XVIII century “…down to the coincident death of [former Presidents]
Adams and Jefferson on the 4th of July, 1826 …” (Vol. 1, No 3 1880).
However,
in our inimitable colloquial way, we couldn’t let such a serious word remain so
austere – and coinkydink was born.
Example: Reportedly, to
achieve the perfect rumpled look for Professor Marvel of MGM’s original,
iconic, Wizard of Oz movie, costumers
perused a local thrift store and scored a delightfully shabby coat. Laugh of
the day – the coat had originally belonged to L. Frank Baum – the story’s
author.
So
be aware – coinkydinks are
everywhere! May all yours be “happy coincidences.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Only intelligent, non-abusive comments (preferably with humor), will be published. Thank you for your interest!