The word "hijack" (not too dissimilar in meaning to "kidnap") has all kinds of theories as to its origin. Some suggest that it comes from the prohibition era in America, whereby a bootlegger would be relieved of his goods with a friendly "Hi, Jack," along with a gun pointed at his head. Seems a bit dubious to me. Another suggestion is that is derives from the French échaquer, when peasants attacked the coaches of aristocrats. A little more plausible, but far from convincing. A compound word for "highway jackrolling?" I can't say I think much of this one. Better, though still doubtful, is the idea that the term is a mishearing or misuse of the word hajduk, a common word in Slavic languages, meaning a bandit. This isn't too bad, but hijack is another of those words that we can't quite explain.
What I have on hijack is this, along the lines of your first suggestion. hijack It became a part of the American language shortly after World War I during the "silk shirt" era of prosperity, while Prohibition was still in force, and people with money wanted to spend it on liquor. Some hold that it originated in the MidWest, and was in reference to hoboes who preyed upon harvesters, even to the point of murder, but it is more often believed that it originally indicated a holdup, at night, of a cargo of illicit liquor. The hold up may or may not involve murder, and might involve the cargo being transferred to another truck or vessel. As the holdup man came upon the intended victim, he would give a friendly greeting, "Hi, Jack!" intended to disarm the suspicions of the victim. Like you, that doesn't seem persuasive to me. Why Jack? Why not Bob or Fred, or any other name.
hobo There are several theories as to the origins of this word. Approximately four centuries ago, the French musical instrument, the hautbois, came into English use. Its name was literal, from haut (high) and bois (wood), as the instrument was made of wood and its tone was high. Later, from Italian spelling, it came to be called an oboe. As they often did, the English corrupted the spelling into hautboy and sometimes hoboy, giving it the latter pronunciation in either case. It is believed, by some, that hobo, of American origin, came about from wandering homeless people who played the oboe. This is the theory that Jack London advanced in his writing. Another explanation credits the source of the word to lumber camps. When French-Canadians would fell a tree, would cry "Haut bois!" -- literally, high timber, using it in much the same way as we think of lumbermen crying, "Timber!" as a warning. From this cry, which was rendered ho bo in English, French-Canadian lumberjacks, who were known for wandering from job to job, became known as hobos. Another is that the word is derived from the an ironic use of the word beau, along with the word of greeting, "Ho." Thus, "Ho, beau," much as someone might say, "Hi, fella." Yet another is that the source of the word goes back three hundred years, where there is record of a slang term that applied to men who engaged in the most menial of labor, going out about London at night to clean latrines. Such a man was called a hoboy. The word may have been of gypsy origin, as much of the slang that was in use at that time was derived from gypsies. It is theorized that hoboy persisted among gypsies, changing to hobo over the years, and was applied to either tramps or migratory workers.
I am perfectly happy with the way it is thank you. Just as I am extremely happy that some questionable ladies of il-repute choose to call their suitors "Johns." Which is, a curiosity. I know why a toilet might be called a john but the later throws me. I digress. I have my own slings and arrows in the form of "bob-tailed nags" and such. Now, I have to go to some extremes and find out what the name Kenneth is assoiated with. We really cannot leave you sitting there with no alternative definition of Ken other than Ken. I am sure, with a world full of liberal arts and communication majors that there must be at least one.
I don't have anything authoritative on that, but I am not known for allowing the absence of facts to prevent me from offering an opinion, so I will do that. I imagine it has to do with the fact that, traditionally, in prostitution arrests, only the prostitute was arrested, while the men were allowed, not only to go free, but in the comfort of anonymity, referred to only as "John Doe."
It makes it so much easier to remember what each of these words literally mean, when you know the root. Not to mention, its incredibly interesting to understand exactly what you are saying. I love the way you explain these terms!
scavenger In London and some other English cities, it was a custom during the Middle Ages to inspect the wares and collect a fee or toll from foreign merchants who wish to exhibit their wares for sale. The Old English law referred to such a fee as a sceawung (showing), but after the Norman invasion, the Anglo-French form of the word, scawage was adopted, and that later became known as scavage. The person authorized by the city officials to collect such tolls was known as a scavager, which later became scavenger. The duties of the scavenger as inspector and collector of tariffs in the early days did not occupy the official's full time because, as early as the 15th century, we find that the scavenger was also expected to keep the streets clean, and the scavenger would keep his eyes out for anything of value that might be retained or sold in the process, and it was to this later duty that the current definition of the word is related.
loophole The type of loop now attached to this hole is seldom used or heard of anymore. In the Late Middle Ages, a loop was a narrow window in a castle or other fortified building, through which an archer could direct arrows at an invading foe, but so narrow as to be a difficult target for an opposing archer. The masonry of the window would widen inwardly to permit a wider maneuvering space for the defending archer. Probably to avoid confusion between loop (window) and loop (a fold), the first became known as a loophole.
ferris wheel The first ferris wheel made its debut at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, otherwise known as the World's Fair, and was the largest attraction at the event. This first ferris wheel rotated between two pyramids, and had a framework of steel, 250 feet in diameter, and carried 36 cars, each able to hold 40 passengers. The ferris wheel was not named for the fair, however. It was named for George Washington Gale Ferris, the Galesburg, Illinois engineer who designed it.
dumbbell A few hundred years ago, someone noticed that bell ringers had attained a remarkable muscular development of the chest, shoulders and arms, due to the repeated exercise of pulling the ropes, which put the great weight of the bells in motion. As far as I am aware the inventor is unknown, but someone came up with a scheme for erecting a device that would simulate the work done by the bell ringer, but without the bells. This device could be installed in a corner of a room or in the attic. It is known that the author, Joseph Addison, had one. The rope was attached to weights suspended over a pulley installed in the ceiling. A wooden bar, knobbed at the ends to prevent the hands from slipping, was knotted to the other end of the rope, and hung within reach of the exerciser, who could duplicate the physical activity of the bell ringer and, by regulating the weights, he could get whatever degree of exercise he might wish. Since there was no bell attached to the apparatus, it became known as a dumb bell. Later, someone discovered that a person could get much the same kind of exercise without the cumbersome contraption by using only the wooden bar or a heavier one made of metal. This much simpler device continued to be known as a dumbbell because it had originally been part of the earlier equipment, although it was no longer associated with the art of bell ringing. The modern derogatory slang term, dumbbell, did not originate from any of the above devices, but came about through a play on words, and was applied only to females, particularly those who were considered to be the belle of the beautiful (but dumb) type.
I love these! Particularly "scavenger". That one surprised me at first, but then as I kept reading, it all made sense.
dragon, dragoon Yes, dragon and dragoon have the same word source. In the Iliad, Homer writes of a huge reptile, of a blood red or dark color shot with changing hues, and sometimes with three heads. He called this creature a drakon, which became dragon in the English language. Agamemnon, the Greek leader during the Trojan War, bore a shield that depicted this creature on it, according to ancient stories. Belief in dragons was not confined to the Greeks. Dragons are depicted in ancient artworks from China and Egypt, and the Norse Vikings carved dragon's heads on the prows of their ships. Usually, dragons are depicted as huge four-legged creatures with large fan-shaped wings extending on either side, and sometimes with blood red forked tongues, with nostrils breathing fire. They are also shown attacking enemies with their long sharp claws, and striking them with their long, scaly, forked tail. Some dragons are shown as having only one head, while others are shown with two or three heads. Legends describe how heroes of old fought and killed a dragon that was terrorizing the neighborhood. In English history, St. George, the patron saint and protector of the English nation, and a prince of Cappadocia, is said to have rescued Lady Aja from the jaws of a fierce dragon, and slaying the dreaded creature. The Crusaders of the 12th and 13th centuries were so impressed by this legend that they compared the dragon to their Mussulman foes, and themselves with St. George. Their banners and shields often pictures St. George killing he dragon. In later years, when firearms were invented, early muskets became known as dragons because of the fire and smoke that resulted upon their being fired. The English spelling became dragoon and, much as lancer became the name applied to those who fought with a lance, those who fought with a dragoon became known as dragoons.
I read The Iliad, The Odyssey, and the Aeneid. And I never caught on to them believing in dragons. Then again I read them close to 40 years ago.
We also have draconian (small d, of the nature of a dragon) and Draconian (capital D, harsh, like the laws of the Athenian Draco), both from the same root. St George is highly ubiquitous - he is not only England's patron saint, but that of Ethiopia, Portugal, Malta, Catalonia and Georgia (the country, that is). He is venerated in Syria (the oldest church in Damascus is St George's) and by most of the Coptic Christians of the Middle East.
You're right. Draconian came from Draco, the first legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the system of oral law by a written code that was enforced by a court. His written law became known for its harshness, and gave birth to the word, draconian, which refers to unusually cruel or severe laws. It is quite likely that the root for which Draco was named came from the same source.