Sometimes a word has two very distinct and separate meanings. Take “Shirk” for instance. Most of us are familiar with shirk the verb. The Online Etymology Dictionary provides us the origin of “shirk” the verb:
shirk- 1630s, “to practice fraud or trickery,” also a noun (1630s, now obsolete) “a needy, disreputable parasite” [OED], perhaps from German schurke “scoundrel, rogue, knave, villain” (see shark (n.)). Sense of “evade one’s work or duty” first recorded 1785, originally in slang.
But did you know that Shirk is also a noun with a completely different meaning? Here is Shirk the noun as defined in Wikipedia:
Which brings me to today’s challenge…to write a Haiku using today’s word…
To Shirk? Or be a Shirk? – A Haiku
A rogue or scoundrel
shirks one’s duty, but a Shirk?
Unforgivable!
~ kat ~ 16 October 2015
