Learn English – Etymology for “petrichor”

According to the following source the origin is from military jargon and its first usage dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.

Stand down:

• is one of several specifically military uses of “stand” that include “to stand to one’s arms,” meaning “to maintain one’s position in the face of an attack” (the source of the idiom “to stick to your guns,” meaning “to not give in” in an argument, etc.), as well as “to stand to arms,” meaning to assume combat readiness and prepare for action.

• “To stand down” is the opposite of “to stand to arms,” and means to go off duty or relax from a state of readiness (“‘Stand-down’ was the corresponding order at the end of the Danger Period, used in like manner as an expression for a definite point of time,” 1925). The “down” in “stand down” doesn’t mean literally taking a seat, any more than the command “at ease” means to lounge on the nearest couch, but the contrast is to “on duty” status and alert readiness.

• “Stand down” first appeared in print in 1919, just after World War I, so we can assume that the term originated in that conflict.

The Word Detective

Yiddish and Middle High German both appeared relatively close together (respectively originating from around the 9th century and 11th century).

During this period the Middle High German word slange (itself originating from Old High German's slango) for serpent or snake evolved to Yiddish's shlang, until eventually it became the Yiddish word schlong we know today.

How did it get it's traction? Because we are a terribly unoriginal group of people, where anything that resembles a man's penis will become a euphemism for it; see: sausage, weiners, one-eyed snake, stick, hose. However, even in slang form I've never encountered "schlonged" before Trump (although you can immediately understand what it means - it's not that creative).

While the word itself isn't too offensive (euphemisms don't tend to be as their original meanings are innocent enough), the intent behind it definitely is in it's blatant sexism. He deliberately uses the word schlonged because we instinctively know what it means while associating it with the schlong Hillary's presumably lacking. Just like when he mentioned she couldn't satisfy her husband, then questioned how could she satisfy a country; this man knows how to use words and phrases that stick in their vulgarity without being particularly vulgar at all.