Fast
Before it came to mean ‘quick’, fast meant ‘firmly fixed’, ‘stable’, and is thus related to German fest (cf. English fasten). The original meaning, but also a hint at the potential ambiguity, is preserved in fast asleep but also in steadfast or stuck fast. (McWorther 2004: 124)
Federal
This rather curious word has two meanings, one of which is almost the opposite of the other. A federal country consists of a group of states which control their own affairs. Switzerland, for example, is a federal country. At the same time, federal can also relate to the central government, as it does in federal taxes, which are not taxes raised by the individual states but by the central government.
Feet
Forms such as feet are often called ‘irregular’ by learners of English. How come there are these irregular plural forms? To begin with, the plural of foot was actually quite regular in Old English, probably fōtiz. What then happened is that the quality of the vowel changed. It turned from ō into ē, which eventually came to be pronounced /ı:/. Then the ending was dropped. That made sense because it was not necessary any more. The new vowel already indicated the plural, so there was no need for an ending. This kind of change affected many words and was, therefore, quite regular. The plural of book was bec, for example. Many of these forms have not survived, and this is why we consider the ones which do as irregular. (Crystal 1995: 19)
Fish and chips
This is a well-known shibboleth to distinguish between Australians and New Zealanders. Australians suspect New Zealanders of saying “Fush and Chups”, while New Zealanders suspect Australians of saying “Feesh and Cheeps”. This is true and false at the same time. False because New Zealanders do distinguish between sick and suck, and Australians do distinguish between sick and seek. True because it shows the general drift. The Australian vowel is closer (and a bit more to the front), the New Zealand vowel is more open (and a bit more to the back) than the English vowel. (Bauer 2002: 77)
Fit as a fiddle
Why, if you are on top form, should you be “as fit as a fiddle”? There are two ways of explaining the apparent oddness of the idiom. First, fiddle may have referred to the player rather than the instrument, and so you may have been as fit as a fiddler, i.e. as fit as a mirth-maker, an entertainer. Or fit may have been used in its original meaning of ‘suitable’, i.e. something may have been as suitable for its purpose as a fiddle for a fiddle-player. (Flavell & Flavell 3 2000: 85)
Fit for purpose
This phrase began life in the field of consumer protection law, characterising a manufactured product. If it did what it was designed to do it was “for for purpose”. The phrase became much more popular through the announcement by John Reed, the newly appointed home secretary, that his government department was not “fit for purpose”. That unprecedented criticism hit the headlines and made the phrase widely popular. Now it is buildings, budgets, streetlights, hostels for the homeless, cattle sheds, soil and washbasins and many other things which can be “fit for the purpose” – or not. (BBC 4, “English up to date”: 1 November 2010)
Fleet Street
The name of the street is used as a synonym for the British press. This is still the case although most of the newspaper offices have now moved to the Dockland area. Nevertheless, the name has not changed to Dockland. Language can make itself independent of physical reality. The term still does the trick although the world has changed. The association of the street name with the press goes back to the 15th century and the early days of printing in Britain. A certain Wynkyn de Worde moved his press to Fleet Street to be nearer the City (Crystal 2005: 256). He was the successor of Caxton, the man who printed the first English book. The street actually took its name from the River Fleet, which, however, you would look for in vain now. It flows underneath the earth. (Germer 1992: 17).
Forest
Why is the New Forest in Hampshire not really a forest? Why is it not densely wooded as we would expect a forest to be? Why is half of it heathland? Quite simply because forest, when the New Forest was established as a royal hunting ground by William the Conqueror, did not mean what it means today but much more generally referred to a large area of land. This area of land was outside, since forest ultimately comes from Latin foris, which means ‘outside’. The forest law imposed by William was quite severe and much resented by the locals. They were forbidden to clear land for crops or to catch rabbits, and their dogs were ‘lawed’: three claws were clipped from each paw to prevent them hunting the king’s venison. (Flavell & Flavell 2005: 28-9)
Fox
The modern English word for a female fox is vixen. Why should it be so different from fox? Because English, in this case, has borrowed its words from two different dialects, fox from the North, vixen from the south. (Jucker 2000: 35)
Fowl
The word fowl (cf. German Vogel) was once the generic term used for all birds, but is now restricted to domesticated birds like hens and ducks. The opposite happened to the word bird, which in its origin only meant young birds, now all birds. (Erickson & Gymnich, 2006: 124)