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Word of the Day: Jaywalk
When you jaywalk, you cross the street illegally, i.e., not at a crosswalk or intersection or dangerously, such as on a Don’t Walk sign.
Jaywalk comes from the term Jay-driver, a person who drove their car or horse and carriage on the wrong side of the road.
As you can see, it’s been around for a while because few people drive a horse or carriage anymore.
I don’t know why they drove on the wrong side of the road.
I also don’t understand why people used the term jay-drivers.
However, somehow, the term jaywalker eventually came to be used. Language develops in strange ways, I guess.
Funnily enough, the term jay-driver is no longer used, but everyone knows what jaywalking means, and it’s something for which police can give you a ticket.
Remember not to be your own worst enemy.
Look both ways before you cross the street, and always do it in an appropriate location.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 72.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.