• ilex@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      I’ve heard this before from a Russian speaker. I don’t understand how it got written this way. It drives me a little nuts trying to imagine how it became written as such. A translation that got fucked repeatedly until finally it was only bots reprinting it?

  • Betty White In HD@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Russian speaker here, seems like a typo or translation error. Can’t think of why this would happen, but I don’t think cum plays any part in this.

    Interesting etymology though, the Italian scaramuccia (joker/jester/clown) seems pretty plausible.

    • animist@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      “cum” is Latin for “with” and is sometimes used in English to show that something is two things at once, so “minstrel-cum-clown” would be someone who is both a minstrel and a clown

      • Betty White In HD@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Huh, that seems plausible, but it’s usually between other Latin words. I can’t think of any where “cum” would be interjected between English words. Are there other examples, is this a thing?

        • clompy@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          I wouldn’t consider it odd to see it between two English words. ‘Seminar-cum-workshop’ is one example I found with plenty of search results.
          It’s also used (with the same meaning) in English place names e.g. the Beegees are from Chorlton-cum-Hardy.