Dictionary fun

Don't worry, I'm not going to start posting obscure words-of-the-day. But I do find this amusing. I did a search for "cardreader" in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged on-line (subscription only, so I'm not linking it); it wasn't included, but they gave me the following suggestion as a "similar word": "swartrutter." The entry for which is:

Main Entry: swart·rut·ter

Pronunciation: sw(r)t.rd.(r) [there's supposed to be some schwas in there but they didn't copy right]

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): -s

Etymology: alteration (influenced by Dutch swartrutter black rider) of German schwartze rotte, literally, black gang

: a member of any of various 16th and 17th century marauding bands in the Netherlands who blackened their faces and wore black garb

Their idea of a "similar word" is clearly not the same as mine...



Update, 01/20/04: Hey, why are so many people searching for "swartrutter"? I've gotten 16 search requests in the past four days—most of them from the UK, with one each from Australia, Canada, and the U.S. Did it show up on a quiz show, in a crossword puzzle, on a history program? If anyone knows, drop me a comment.