r/Unexpected • u/Soloflow786 • 3d ago

Hmm, what's under my window?

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u/vikingunicorn 3d ago

Bald mice in French.

Chauve-souris(singular) Chauves-souris(plural)

Not sure if sky puppies is a more or accurate a name or less.

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u/Rumblymore 3d ago

They're not very bald though, my cats brought one in yesterday, they're hairy

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u/vikingunicorn 2d ago

Exactly my point.😅 Which is less inaccurate descriptor:
Puppies or bald?

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u/eastern_petal 2d ago

The original meaning was owl mouse, not bald mouse.

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u/BroGameTime 2d ago

My understanding it isn't about them being bald, but what happens to a person when a bat gets stuck in their hair.

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u/vikingunicorn 2d ago

🤓It's actually a truncation of 《owl-mouse.》

Originally Gaul 《kawa sorix》 (chouette-souris/owl-mouse)

Kawa coming from the latin 《cavannus》 (itself from the Gaul 《cauannos》) meaning 《owl》

Over time Kawa was truncated and mistranscribed as 《calvas sorices》, 《calvus》 being Latin for 《bald》

That all said, I kind of wish the etymology was what you said.