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quote: Originally posted by DorianGreyed:
I have always found it humerus.
 @DG However, he is correct. (There has to be a first time for everything.) It's because "humerus" is the Latin name for the bone of the upper arm. So "funny bone" is a pun on humerous/humorous. |
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Platinum
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"Bumping one's funny bone" commonly refers to eliciting a paresthesia (electric shock sensation) in the 4th and 5th fingers by bumping the ulnar nerve inside the elbow, where it is relatively exposed as it winds through the ulnar groove in the medial epicondyle of the humerus. This is a "funny" sensation and offers an alternate explanation for the term "funny bone" besides the pun on humerus.
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Diamond
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quote: Originally posted by Professor:
"Bumping one's funny bone" commonly refers to eliciting a paresthesia (electric shock sensation) in the 4th and 5th fingers by bumping the ulnar nerve inside the elbow, where it is relatively exposed as it winds through the ulnar groove in the medial epicondyle of the humerus. This is a "funny" sensation and offers an alternate explanation for the term "funny bone" besides the pun on humerus.
Er.....what he said.  Plus it isn't likely that ordinary people would never have had the Latin to make a bad pun. Isn't it more likely that they called it the funny bone because it was funny in the sense of odd ? If you hit it it feels funny. |
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| Posts: 7596 | Location: Newmarket, UK/ Antibes, S.France | Registered: 07-14-02 |  |
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Platinum
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Our British and Canadian friends would probably spell it paræsthesia, but I don't do ligatures.
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