XPost: alt.usage.english, alt.english.usage

which came first, streak or streaky?
Which came first, Fluff or Fluffy?


In this case, "fluff" came first.

"Fluffy" is an adjective derived from the noun "fluff." Nouns typically precede the development of adjectives based on them.

While we can't pinpoint the exact date "fluff" entered the English
language, evidence suggests its use well before any specific brand name
like "Marshmallow Fluff" (introduced in 1917). The Oxford English
Dictionary traces the word "fluff" back to the 1500s.

______________________________________(flake, flaky)

Nouns Precede Adjectives: Generally, nouns like "flake"
referring to a physical thing appear in the language before adjectives
derived from them, like "flaky."

Historical Evidence: While a definitive date is elusive, the
word "flake" has a longer documented history.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "flake" can be traced back
to the late 14th century, while "flaky" appears later, around the
mid-17th century.


______________________________________

Re: What's the origin of the word flake, meaning crackpot?

Mark Brader wrote:

"Micky":

What's the origin of the word flake, meaning crackpot? Or

something >> like that.

The OED Online says it was a back-formation from "flaky", which
makes sense to me -- a flaky person might do suddenly something odd,
just as a flaky pastry or mineral might suddenly come apart.

They define a "flaky" person as one "liable to act in an odd
or eccentric manner (as though exhausted or under the influence
of drink or drugs); crazy, 'screwball'; feeble-minded, stupid".
The earliest cited use it from 1964, when the "New York Times" wrote:

| The term 'flake' needs explanation. It's an insider's word, used
| throughout baseball, usually as an adjective; someone is considered
| 'flaky'. It does not mean anything so crude as 'crazy', but it's
| well beyond 'screwball' and far off to the side of 'eccentric'.

Although the above citation also uses the noun "flake", the entry for "flake" itself does not repeat it; the earliest cite there is from
"Time" magazine in 1968:

| He has a well-deserved reputation as something of a flake.
| During an exhibition ski jump in Switzerland, Jean-Claude shocked
| spectators by dropping his trousers in mid-air.

> I presume the "Jean-Claude" there would be Killy.


_________________________

The OED Online says it was a back-formation from "flaky", which

"New York Times"-- It's an insider's word, used throughout baseball

so NYT thinks it's from MLB.... is [clutch] also from baseball?


[streaky] is somewhat like [flaky] -- is [streaky] also from
baseball?


which came first, streak or streaky?

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