Of Orchids and Testes

[nullorchis (imported)]

So I says to myself,

Self, If they remove my tonsils, the procedure is called a tonsillectomy.

So if they remove my testicles, why isn't the procedure called a testiclectomy. ?

Nope, it's called an orchiectomy.

Which means they are removing my orchies?

No, not exactly, they are removing my orchis, sort of.

Apparently the ancient Greeks called a testicle an orchis . (and where the word orchis originated I do not yet know). (And I don't know if orchi was for 1 and orchis was for 2)

Then back when botanists were discovering and naming flowers a genus was discovered and the bulb of this particular genus of flowering plants looks like a pair of testicles so it became a genus called orchis in the Orchid family. (Apparently they decided to call it orchis from the greek word for testicle........clever these botanists; not likely they would have named an Orchid genius as testicle).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchis

And the orchis bulb produces a nice erect stem. How appropriate.

The orchis genus is very prolific with many different types of flowering stems.

Just how "orchis" evolved to "testes" or "testicles" is rooted in Latin and Roman History. Since English, and most western languages, are well rooted from Latin, the Latin term "testis" , meaning "witness" somehow evolved to describe the dangling participles hanging below the penis. you really need to read about it at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testes (nice photo too).

This is one instance where a medical term "orchiectomy" reaches back to the ancient greek language instead of Latin.

I wonder if the San Diego musical group "Roots of Orchis" realizes the complete origin and meaning of their group's name.?

Whether it be a tuber, teste, testis, testicle, orchid, orchis, nut, ball, gonad, whatever, A rose by any other name is still a rose.

Happy gardening.

PS: "gonad" is also of greek origin, meaning either the testis or ovary, though to be more accurate a gonad is the sex organ before it adopts either the x or y chromosome to become either the male or female sex organ.

[gandalf (imported)]

Loved this one.

ROFLOL

[FianceeUvBigGuy (imported)]

Well, for that matter, if a we say a person is disgruntled, how might we get him all nice and gruntled again? Huh? What?

Yoli

Late for Church

[chilliwilli (imported)]

2deadnuts-

Thanks for the history and gardening is such a blast! A nice way to get away from it all. A drip system takes all the hassle away. All you have to do is come up with a good plan considering all the maintance issues.

You know some unstable people can really get carried away with the whole gardening thing. It's better to take your time and have plan, not just plant shit and expect the next guy to deal with it. And sometimes I wish god gave me balls instead of these useless orchids! I hate flower power, what a nightmare...the witch really got her licks in when that shitten parade came through my town! I was at ground zero for that one, concieved in the summer of love right in the middle of the SF Bay Area. To bad my folks weren't drugged out hippies. I got stuck with a psycho alcoholic who was a controlling bitch before all that women's shit got fired up! She was so obsessed I'd didn't get left with shit! Walked outta that house at eighteen with a grion full of ice for the road!

I'm going to the pool today to ruin everyone's day, I can't wait. I'm a master.

I'm going to work at the VA where Ken Kesey got his idea for one "flew over the cukoos nest". Home sweet home, I love vets!

pissed off domestic

chilli-

[mrt (imported)]

Well, for that matter, if a we say a person is disgruntled, how might we get him all nice and gruntled again? Huh? What?

Yoli

Late for Church

Well as a former rural guy what is more happy then pigs in mud? Answer NO ONE! And what do happy pigs do? They grunt!

[chilliwilli (imported)]

The only pigs we had were the one's with badges...and they did you instead of vice versa....ahh...we don't need no stickin' badges.

I guess it will be starbucks instead of the darn pool today, a little sleep always helps.

chilli-

[Hash (imported)]

Yoli,

What church are you late for?

[FianceeUvBigGuy (imported)]

Yoli,

What church are you late for?

The one whereat I worship (and warble in the choir), you silly wabbit.

(Protestant, despite being my born in Spain)

Pretty sizable congregation too, with a fair number of eligible bachelors. Hmmmm...They DO pay court, maybe I should...

Nope, happy with my current "arrangements".

What's sometimes funny and often a pain in the hiney are the older mothers (and a couple of dads) in the congregation who bug me to date their sons. Some are really pushy.

One woman got angry with me in front of a lot of people at a post-service luncheon. She confronted me as I was enjoying some great BBQ and VERY loudly accused me of being a snob 'cause I politely declined a date with her Dear Son, Fauntleroy Algernon Beanblossom III (not really his name, and a nice enough guy, for a mama's boy wimp.) I replied that he'd be a good catch except that she came along as part of the package. I'm a baaaaaaad girl...but the others laughed her out of the hall.

Yoli

Probably not the marrying kind, given my "hobbies".

[A-1 (imported)]

Well, for that matter, if a we say a person is disgruntled, how might we get him all nice and gruntled again? Huh? What?

Yoli

Late for Church

Well, Yoli, if you "DO" him and he GRUNTS, then I suppose that he is "...nice and gruntled" again. At least, I would be...





See? He would smoke after his gruntling.

[A-1 (imported)]

The one whereat I worship (and warble in the choir), you silly wabbit.

(Protestant, despite being my born in Spain)

Pretty sizable congregation too, with a fair number of eligible bachelors. Hmmmm...They DO pay court, maybe I should...

Nope, happy with my current "arrangements".

What's sometimes funny and often a pain in the hiney are the older mothers (and a couple of dads) in the congregation who bug me to date their sons. Some are really pushy.

One woman got angry with me in front of a lot of people at a post-service luncheon. She confronted me as I was enjoying some great BBQ and VERY loudly accused me of being a snob 'cause I politely declined a date with her Dear Son, Fauntleroy Algernon Beanblossom III (not really his name, and a nice enough guy, for a mama's boy wimp.) I replied that he'd be a good catch except that she came along as part of the package. I'm a baaaaaaad girl...but the others laughed her out of the hall.

Yoli

Probably not the marrying kind, given my "hobbies".

Yoli, is that the woman that chased the preacher around the church and finally caught him by the ORGAN?