Finger/etymology

Famous quotes containing the words finger and/or etymology:

    His white head hung out like a carpet bag
    and his crotch turned blue as a blood blister,
    and Godfather death, as it is written,
    put a finger on his back
    for the big blackout,
    the big no.
    Anne Sexton (1928–1974)

    Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.
    Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)