Re: "A diagram of C23 basic types"

On 08/04/2025 14:00, Richard Heathfield wrote:

 My first draft did indeed give 'lakh', but in the light of 'billiard' the totally fabricated 'pool' and 'snooker' had a (very light) touch of potential for humour. For anyone who hasn't heard of humour, it was very big in the Sixties and to this day still makes occasional appearances for old times' sake.
 

One thing I miss from all these online etymological dictionaries is the reasoning behind some of the origins of words.  For example, the game of "pool" is so-called because players bet on it by putting their money in a pile - a "pool".  This form of managing a bet comes from an old French game "poule" (meaning "chicken") where players put their bet in a bowl. Then a chicken is released in the room, and players throw stones at it - the first to knock over the chicken, wins the pool!