FUN indeed! How amazing that Middle English’s cheating, hoaxing, befooling fon shape-shifted down the centuries to its near polar opposite…frolicsome, amusing fun. How is it that the horrid hoax became amusing, playful? Is it too much to read into this some optimistic lightening-up in the human psyche? Or did we just give in to our shadow side and call it “Bob’s your uncle”? Whatever. We moderns only call into use its ancient dark root hidden in funny – as in funny (counterfeit) money, or when our gut ponders if there wasn’t something funny about that guy/situation/thing, something suspiciously, strangely odd.
Hmm.
Etymological illuminations brought to you by Jane
The Other Day at Portrait... 