5 Words that are Older than You Think

Mobile Telephone System (MTS) by Bell System
The first commercially available mobile phone (1946)
Image: ginva.com

Sometimes words have surprising origins. For example, the following 5:

1. Frenemy: I thought that the blend of friend and enemy first appeared with Sex and the City. A Google search revealed that was not a unique assumption . A Psychology Today article expressed "the first time the word surfaced was in an episode of the hit show." However, we were both wrong. 

The word frenemy dates back to 1953. "It was first mentioned in William Winchell's article in the Nevada State Journal 'Howz About Calling the Russians our Frenemies?'"

2. Downloadable: I recently discovered that downloadable originated in 1982. Well, call me gobsmacked (another 1980s word). Internet usage was scant in '82. Nevertheless, the concept of a download spawned 2 adjectival forms. It is difficult to imagine such prominence in the early 80s. 

3. Unfriend: You may not be able to believe that your best friend from middle school unfriended you. What I cannot believe is that unfriend was first used in 1275 as a noun, then in 1659 as a verb.

4. Mobile Phone: The phrase was coined in 1945. "The first commercially available mobile telephone was the Mobile Telephone System (MTS) by Bell Systems. The monthly fee was approximately $330 modern US dollars, with additional charges per call." Yikes. 

5. Scrub: TLC was hardly the first to decry the attention of a scrub. While that may not surprise, consider that people have not cared for that number (nor wanted to give theirs) since the 14th century. 

Dobranski, Paul, M.D. (March 31, 2010). How to Spot Friends, Enemies, Frenemies and Bullies [online article]. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-urban-scientist/201003/how-spot-friends-enemies-frenemies-and-bullies

Cavendish, Lucy. (December 31, 2013). The Best of Frenemies [online article]. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/8250216/The-best-of-frenemies.html

Ginva. (May 8, 2011). The Evelution of the Cell Phone Between 1938-2011. [blog post]. Retrieved from http://ginva.com/2011/05/the-evolution-of-the-cell-phone-between-1938-2011/

TLC. "No Scrubs." Fanmail. Laface, Arista, 1999. Radio single.

Oh, Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Mum Mum Mum Mum Mum Mum Mum, Get a Job!

Here is some of the job-hunting advice I have received from reputable sources recently:

• “You must find new connections on Linkedin. Send requests for informational interviews to people in your desired field. Ask for an ‘informational interview,' not a job, because it’s too much pressure–and inappropriate.”

• “Ask to take someone to coffee, but never for an informational interview. Everyone knows what that means and it’s just TOO MUCH PRESSURE!”

• “Your résumé should have a summary.”

• “Never, ever, ever have a summary on your résumé; it looks dated.” 

• “For the love of God; you must keep your résumé to one page. The interviewers won’t read any more than that.”

• “Sweet merciful Mcgillicutty! Send a two-page, functional-format résumé. Otherwise, interviewers won’t read it.”

• “Oh, no, the long résumés suck.”

• “Interests and activities sections may be your doom. It will look like you have too many hobbies, and too little time for the job.”

• "Include an interests and activities section. It will make you look interesting and set you apart from other candidates.

I ponder all of the above when the national unemployment rate is mentioned.