Another Internet "myth"

Posted by ESC on October 23, 1999

In Reply to: Words ending in GRY posted by Gary Martin on October 23, 1999

: I have had thousands of searches of the Phrase Finder : site looking for the solution of the riddle : 'apart from hungry and angry, what is the other word : that ends in GRY'.

: To save people from wasting their time looking for : the solution to this Internet myth I've added an : explanation of the riddle to the database. Go to : www.phrases.org.uk/ and search for gry.

: Gary

Picnic: Speaking of Internet myths. A while back someone posted an inquiry on Phrase Finder about whether "picnic" had racist origins. The theory was the word was originally "pick a [word removed in order to comply with Google's Publisher Policy]." White folks would pick a black person to lynch and make it a festive occasion with food and music. My daughter found a site (Urban Legends References Pages) that addresses that myth (calls it one of those "specious etymologies") and gives the roots of the word - from the French word "piquenique" for casual outdoor dining.