Can't Do It By Yourself? Try Plan 'Bee'

Rob Kyff
Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

And now some questions about etymology ... or should I say entomology?

Q: I know you must be as busy as a bee at apple blossom time, but my 13-year-old grandson, Lucas, would like to know the origin of "spelling bee." — Luke McEntire, Wethersfield, Conn.

A: This question once made me break out in hives. Until a few years ago, I assumed the use of "bee" to describe a group of people pitching in on a project, such as house-raising, quilting or putting up a satellite dish, referred to the hard-working nature of busy bees.
Updated: Wed Mar 25, 2026

And now some questions about etymology ... or should I say entomology?

Q: I know you must be as busy as a bee at apple blossom time, but my 13-year-old grandson, Lucas, would like to know the origin of "spelling bee." — Luke McEntire, Wethersfield, Conn.

A: This question once made me break out in hives. Until a few years ago, I assumed the use of "bee" to describe a group of people pitching in on a project, such as house-raising, quilting or putting up a satellite dish, referred to the hard-working nature of busy bees.

But then a swarm of etymologists shooed that bee from my bonnet. Working collectively at a derivation bee, they discovered that the cooperative "bee" derives from the British dialectical term "bean," meaning "the assistance a farmer gives his neighbors."

The helpful "bean," not to be confused with the comic British character Mr. Bean, comes from the Middle English "bene," from Latin "bene," meaning "in the right way, honorably, properly." "Bene" once referred to the extra service a tenant performs for his lord, usually for chump change.

Q: What is the origin of "chump change"? Someone told me it refers to a small amount of money — the type that chumps are happy with. — Chris Ryan, New York City

A: Whoever told you that is no chump.

Chump," which is probably a blend of "chop" and "lump," originally referred to a short, thick lump of wood — and no, I don't mean your brother-in-law. "Chump" changed for the first time during the late 1800s when people started using it as a slang term for someone as dumb as a chump of wood — a sucker, patsy or gull.

H. L. Mencken reports its use during the early 20th century to denote someone victimized by a crime or duped by a carnival pitchman.

In the argot of thieves and con men, "chump" even became a verb, meaning to take advantage of someone ("I chumped the suckers") or to steal ("I chumped a car").

During the late 1950s, the term "chump change" emerged, meaning "an amount of money a chump or sucker would accept" — chickenfeed, pocket change. Some lexicographers attribute the term to African American slang, others to gangster lingo.

Eventually, mainstream English chumped "chump change" itself, as this sentence from a recent newspaper story demonstrates: "Many officials are beginning to eye sales taxes on online shopping, which may seem like chump change."

As they say at Amazon.com, "Proceed to checkout."