Question...

It just goes to show that you can't do right for doing wrong - I was originally going to write buggers but changed it to beggars for fear of offending someone. Your very welcome to butt in Burgundy, the more the merrier I say, but shouldn't you be on my side? After all the English & the Burgundians were allies in the Hundred Years War.

The first recorded Viking raid on England was at Lindisfarne - I think it a bit of a stretch to call slaughtering a bunch of monks self-respecting.

Regards

Eh, you win, I have to throw in the towel now -- I don't actually know much about Viking history beyond the basics... They probably were buggers in addition to being 'traders', I'll give you that, and as for the monks, well, Vikings didn't like Christians much, though slaughtering them was a bit over the top, but not without precedent from the Christians themselves. On second thought, maybe we shouldn't get into that

And let's definitely not get into English-French conflicts and wars...

Of course I am on your side, I'm in your commonwealth, my lord. Up the queen!

I'm not sure who was to blame, if blame we must, but the Romans preceded the norsemen by a few hundred years. It was the French invasion of 1066, and the dominance of French among the elite for 300 years thereafter, that brought in the Latin influence.

Aahh, mercy! Hi TEM; I knew that, darnit! I should have known better than to dangle the red cloth of English history in front of all of you...

But yeah, that's why everyone thinks French-based words like 'commence' sound more sophisticated than the perfectly good 'start', it's etymological elitism

It certainly is! An interesting example is seen in the words for certain domestic animals, and their cooked versions.
'Pig' and 'cow' are derived from Old English, but 'pork' and 'beef' from French (spoken by the elite in England from 1066 thru c. 1350)

I've always been taken with the image of two English families circa 1150, one of the elite, the other lowly. Elite man of the house returns home.
"What's for dinner, wife of mine?"
"Ask the servants."
"I'm asking you."
"Pork chops."
"Hmmm. Delicious."

Lowly man of the house returns home.
"What we eating, woman?"
"Pig."
"Yeah! I love pig."

Or something like that. I suppose the elite had time to sit around thinking up different words for the cooked versions (deer or venison anyone? Sheep or mutton?).

That's amazing - I had never realized that, but it makes so much sense! So cool.

Your conversations with the elite and lowly couples reminded me of that scene in The Meaning of Life:
"Look at those poor Catholics, having a child every time they have intercourse."
"But us, too, darling."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well, we have two children, and we've had sexual intercourse twice..."
Yes, everything always comes back to Monty Python...

Oho, just a jovial discussion concerning evolution here and there concerning elitism and pomposity. Much could be learned from the true King. That would be Arnold Palmer. Just my .02! May he RIP and job well done, Your Highness.

Such a great man.

Please accept my humble apology for slithering off-topic here, carry on.

It does, indeed, and not perhaps only for those of a certain age! As a teenager, my mind was surrealistically warped forever memorising their albums and TV output.

There's a long and happy thread to be had swapping favourite lines, but I hesitate...I'm not sure the server would bear the load.

Yeah, then this server would be deceased, it would be no more... this would be an ex-server.