camarilla

Pronounced: ka-muh-RIH-luh, noun

Notes: This one is new to me

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Yesterday’s word

The word nimrod means

• a hunter
• a stupid person

First usage

The first meaning came about in the early 1600s (and see the Comments below). The second meaning probably is from the 1930s, but it may have been used in that sense back in the mid-1800s by Robert E Lee (it is unclear exactly what he meant, so this is speculation).

Background / Comments

In the Bible, Nimrod is mentioned as a “mighty hunter before the LORD”. The name “Nimrod” means “rebellion” or “let us revolt”; in addition, some Biblical scholars note that “before” can also mean “against”. Thus, they believe that Nimrod was a highly successful hunter (and thus became a leader – he could provide food) who was against God. Thus, even though our word came about in the early 1600s, there are earlier references in the mid-1500s, where the word meant “tyrant” – but that usage is obsolete. It is not clear how our word mutated into meaning “a stupid person”, but in the late 1940s/early 1950s, Looney Tunes characters Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny use the word in our second definition (Daffy Duck uses it of Elmer Fudd – who is a hunter; Bugs Bunny uses it of Yosemite Sam). My first experience was in high school where a person was described – clearly, the second definition was intended.