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   PaulNickson 🕊️ (paulnickson@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 04-May-2025 09:35:02 JST PaulNickson 🕊️

   • Robert J. Berger
   • Laffy

   @rberger @GottaLaff All of the above … and of course much, much more.

   • Embed this notice
     Coach Pāṇini ® (paninid@mastodon.world)'s status on Sunday, 04-May-2025 09:35:00 JST Coach Pāṇini ®

     in reply to

     • Robert J. Berger
     • Laffy

     @GottaLaff @PaulNickson @rberger

     But, are they? 🤨

     The word #clown first appeared around 1560 as clowne or cloyne, meaning “man of rustic or coarse manners, boor, peasant”.

     It may connect to Scandinavian or Low German roots-such as Icelandic klunni (“clumsy, boorish fellow”) or North Frisian klönne (“clumsy person”)-all related to words for “lump” or “clod”.

     This ties in with the English word clod, meaning a lump of earth, reinforcing the sense of a rough, unsophisticated country person.

   • Embed this notice
     Laffy (gottalaff@mstdn.social)'s status on Sunday, 04-May-2025 09:35:01 JST Laffy

     in reply to

     • Robert J. Berger

     @PaulNickson @rberger I disagree. I hate using that term for them. Clowns are entertaining, meant to bring kids delight. These are not clowns.

     Steve's Place repeated this.