Inferencing · Level 2

The first sign was the increased movement in the treetops. Then she heard a humming in the

overhead power cables. But it was the sudden drop in temperature which sent her rushing to the

line. Dropping pegs in her haste she quickly gathered all she could carry before returning indoors.

"Wow' What a great trophy. What did you get that for?" I asked Tim.

"Oh, it's not mine exactly," replied modestly. "It's Sandy's and mine really. We won the jumping events. She only knocked down two railings and she was the only one to clear the water jump. I nearly came off - just managed to stay on.

Language is constantly changing. Words are invented, meanings are changed and some words are lost.

Mumbo-jumbo is thought to be an African term for a witch doctor who carried out seemingly strange ceremonies. In English, mumbo-jumbo took on the meaning for something that is either mysterious or meaningless.

In 1884 a circus owner named P.T. Barnum bought an enormous male elephant from London Zoo. He named the elephant Jumbo and shipped it to America to take it on tour. It was the largest known elephant in captivity. Barnum's advertising posters showed a huge elephant with the name Jumbo written in large letters.

Soon the word jumbo was being added to anything that was especially large. There were jumbo meals, jumbo fruits - the new word could be added to any product. In more modern times we got the 'jumbo jet'. This was the nickname given to the Boeing 747 aircraft - a plane with a large, distinctive hump. This plane could carry more passengers than any other.

For about a year Jumbo was exhibited across America. Then, one night as he was being led across some railway tracks to board the train which would take him to his next destination, another train arrived unexpectedly and ran straight into him. Neither he nor the train survived the collision, but the word jumbo continues to be part of the English language.