Weekend Economists Out on an Idle Idol Idyll November 15-17, 2013

[Demeter]

1. The Ideal Idle Idol Idyl--a story of homophones

An idol is an object of worship. The word functions only as a noun. Idle has several definitions, including (1) inactive, (2) to pass time without doing work, (3) to run (a motor vehicle) while out of gear or not in motion, (4) to make inactive, and (5) a state of idling. It’s usually an adjective, but senses two, three, and four make it a verb, and sense five makes it also a noun.

There’s also the rarer idyll, which refers to (1) a tranquil natural scene, (2) a carefree episode, and (3) a short, pastoral poem. This word is also not to be confused with ideal.

Other than their similarity in sound and pronunciation, the three words have nothing in common. Idle has Germanic roots and is documented in English (Old English, to be precise) as long ago as the ninth century. Idol goes back to the Latin idolum, which in turn comes from a corresponding Greek word. Idyll derives from Latin and Greek words for short, descriptive poems. Idol and idyll are much newer in English than idle; idol entered the language around the 14th century, idyll a couple of centuries later.

http://grammarist.com/spelling/idle-idol-idyll/

Idleness is the parent of psychology.--Friedrich Nietzsche

Trouble springs from idleness, and grievous toil from needless ease.--Benjamin Franklin

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.--John Lubbock

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.--Lord Chesterfield

Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good.--Soren Kierkegaard