The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #81424   Message #1493872
Posted By: sixtieschick
26-May-05 - 05:25 PM
Thread Name: BS: Delicate question for older US males
Subject: RE: BS: Delicate question for older US males
Bobad, this is several days late and dollars short to your May 24th post, but I couldn't resist:

An "orchidectomy" is probably so named because the word "orchid" comes from the ancient Greek "orchis," meaning testicles. The connection between the plant and the human anatomy probably isprobably derived from the fact that some orchid bulbs come in pairs.

Incidentally, there's a drink in Turkey and parts of the Middle East made with powdered orchid roots called Salep. Its etymology harks from a word which means "fox's testicles," and refers to the double bulbs found on that particular type of orchid. (The drink was also imbibed in England as saloop. Charles Lamb said it was the proper drink for chimney sweeps. I won't even try to figure that one out.)