Name: English Tutor Nick P Word Origins (79) Fleabag
Uploaded: 2019-10-16T07:32:22.000Z
Duration: 2 min 42 s
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Hi this is Tutor Nick P and  this is Word Origins 79. The  word origin today is fleabag.

Okay. Let's take a look at the note here.  Today,  the word fleabag is most commonly

To-infinitive

used to mean an inexpensive run-down ... meaning you know, they don't do good

maintenance on it and perhaps unkept hotel. You know,  maybe they don't even

change the sheets as often as they should or they don't keep it as clean as

they should. So we could say it's unkept hotel. It can be used as a noun by itself.

You know like you just want to stay in a fleabag or as an adjective like in a

fleabag motel or a fleabag hotel. Both of those would be okay. All right. Let's

continue. The origin of fleabag comes from the idea of a mattress or sleeping

bag that may be infested with fleas. So it's just what you might imagine. The

earliest known citing comes from the novel "The Confessions of Harry Lorreque. "

Maybe. In 1839 written by novelist Charles T Lever. This may have derived

from. So it may have come from an older term " flea park" that had the same meaning.

But went out of use.  So I guess they meant in the same way. Like maybe your

bed you know,  especially in the old days you know,  probably a lot more beds

actually had bedbugs or fleas in them. So they would get maybe in a comical way

they referring to your bed as a flea park. You know, so  where they're all over the place.

Well anyway,  but that use is gone and but we still do say fleabag. All right.  Let's continue.

Okay. The term became popular during World War one because many soldiers

referred to their sleeping bag as a fleabag. And that's how it eventually

ended up ... well you know,  got having the use for a hotel or a cheap hotel or

a hotel that's not so clean. It  could be referred to as a flea bag. Okay.

We just give one example here. This time I want to stay at a nicer hotel. You know,

maybe a three-four-five star hotel.  Don't book that same fleabag we stayed

at the last time. So especially a wife might be saying this to a husband if he

he booked a hotel that was really,  really cheap or vice versa.

Anyway,  I hope you got it. I hope it is  clear. I hope you found it informative. Thank you