'twas writ:
>>Is the story that "kangaroo" means "I don't know" wrong too, then?
>. . and 'budgerigar' means 'good to eat'
Wikipedia is your friend:
<<<<
The word kangaroo derives from the Guugu Yimidhirr word gangurru, referring
to a grey kangaroo.[6] The name was first recorded as "Kangooroo or Kanguru"
on 4 August 1770, by Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook on the banks of
the Endeavour River at the site of modern Cooktown, when HM Bark Endeavour
was beached for almost seven weeks to repair damage sustained on the Great
Barrier Reef.[7]
A common myth about the kangaroo's English name is that it came from the
Aboriginal words for "I don't understand you." According to this legend,
Captain James Cook and naturalist Sir Joseph Banks were exploring Australia
when they happened upon the animal. They asked a nearby local what the
creatures were called. The local responded "Kangaroo", meaning "I don't
understand you", which Cook took to be the name of the creature. [8]
Kangaroo soon became adopted into standard English where it has come to mean
any member of the family of kangaroos and wallabies.
>>>>
and
<<<<
Several possible origins for the English name Budgerigar have been proposed:
A compound of budgery, "good" and gar "Cockatoo".[4] This is supported by
the Oxford English Dictionary. The word budgery itself, also spelt boojery,
was formerly in use in Australian English slang meaning "good".
An alteration of Gamilaraay gidjirrigaa (IPA:
[ɡiɟiriɡaː]),[5] possibly influenced by the slang word
budgery mentioned above. This is supported by the American Heritage
Dictionary.
>>>>
Dave
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