Jason Callaghan’s car with a “Black Lines Matter” sticker. (Provided photo — Jason Callaghan)

Last month was African American History month. On Feb. 21, Enterprise columnist Bob Seidenstein wrote about “Some words on words.” Time for some stories.

In some mafia movies you hear “Send him to La-La land …” Lala is the word to lie down horizontal and sleep in Xhosa (the language of Nelson Mandela).

Do you want to go to a safari, watch zombie movies or listen to jazz? All words of African origin. The banjo is a traditional instrument associated with the Appalachia and the white rural deep south. Bahn-Joe is a West African musical instrument.

The first European Explorer to map the eastern coast of the United States was Estaban Gomez. He was an African. Sailing for Spain, he even named today’s Hudson River, El Rio de San Antonio. Estaban also enslaved 50 Native Americans and took them back to the Spanish king to demonstrate how slavery would work. The disgusted king freed them. This continent was named for a African slaver before an Italian map maker. Perhaps the most popular word in the English language, “OK,” may be of West African origin (Bantu language “Oh-wa-kay”), but this is disputed.

The very first president who was actually born in the United States, not the 13 colonies, did not speak English as his first language. His family name is on the side street by Kinney Drugs in town: Martin Van Buren, 8th (18th?) president of the United States.

While we’re on the topic of Dutch words: cookie, stoop, Wall Street (Walstraat, built by them), Staten (Island), boss and 100s of others still used today.

It’s cold outside! You might go to your igloo (non-Greenlandic Inuit word for any form of home) after dealing with traffic, sit on your couch, consume some hashish and coffee while doing algebra home work. Traffic, couch, hashish (Arabic for grass), coffee and Al-Gebra are Arabic words. Al-“Jabar” began 2600 years before Arabs invaded Mesopotamia and was named by them. “Arab” numbers were broadcast (an old farming word for spreading seeds) by Arabs after being invented in India.

Old time auto mechanics might call the two front wheels “steers” for “driving” a car. The words steer and drive have their old origins. Could their use here come from the 1800s cattle drives? These drives ran by controlling the lead steer (big horned male) to direct the herd. Perhaps “hitting the horn” made him bellow to others to get out of the way?

Next time you’re in town, check out “Black Lines Matter” on Jason Callaghan’s car. Black lines are from burn outs and laying rubber. Bob, you’re in good company. Many Saranac Lakers tinker with words.

While on cars: The British and the Japanese drive on the left side of the road. Both feudal Japan and England had nobility on horseback (peasants not allowed). Most people are right handed. Wielding a sword or whip with a right hand is easier if the target is on the right side. In early America, owning a horse or cart was not an aristocracy privilege, but robbers and murders on isolated dirt roads were common. It’s easier to point a gun at someone on your left side as they pass by if you are right handed. Someone “riding shotgun” helps too. Nothing to do with word etymology here, just an interesting thought.

The Hittite word for water is … water or “watar.” Hittites and Egypt were at war when Moses led the Israelites out of slavery. This Hittite word comes up through Old English’s Indo-European roots. The Ramses II-Hittite peace treaty is the first known major peace treaty and is enshrined at the UN in NYC.

Korea is located close to Japan and next door to China. A language related to Korean is Finnish. Yes, Finland, where the Sami (not “Laplanders!”) live. Near Norway, Sweden and St. Petersburg (in Russia, where Vikings hung out). Many words are identical and some common names too like “Kim” and “Oh.”

How about ZZ Top’s 1975 hit “Tush” and that word’s origin? They do look like rabbis. Bob mentioned malaprops in his column, but not the Master of Malaprops: Norm Crosby.

Back to presidential words: Garfield could write with both hands, he was amphibious. Even Yogi Berra was humorous in a funny way.

In Austria there was a village named F***ing (population 100). Yes, that F-word. They had a problem with drunk vacationers from the UK stealing the village signs. “Welcome to ….” The tired-of-it villagers changed the name to Fugging in 2021. What a fugging shame! See? It’s not us rude Americans this time. Our village had a welcome sign stolen. Is “Saranac Lake” hilarious in another language?

Bob: The examples you gave for “eponymous” are wrong. What you wrote are just ironic coincidences like Drown’s Funeral Home in Plattsburgh. Were you trying to make a malaprop? Try replacing “eponymous” with “funny ironic coincidence.” That works better. The definition of “eponymous” is in a dictionary. I can loan you one.

While on ironic funny (not “eponymous”!) names … in Iraq I was Lieutenant Weinberg (remember Jack Nicholson’s sneer in A Few Good Men?). Colonel Sanders (who looks like Al Roker) and I still keep in touch.

Back to New York: In 1664 when New Amsterdam was seized by the British from the Dutch (1st time) the city had about 10,000 people speaking 18 different languages (lots of words!). The Jewish guy on the $10 bill made NYC the heart of commerce for America and the world … Dutch words included.

More to say but I’m out of space. Like Bob, I can drone on and on. Drones are part of bagpipes. They play no matter what, always on and on. .. while pissing off the neighbors back in Brooklyn … and Irish pipers love to make slurs.

Just some thoughts … and … America and Tierra Del Gomez are examples of “eponymous” names.

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Ira Weinberg lives in Saranac Lake.