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  1. Interesting fact: the word “lollapalooza” – which originally meant something similar to “humdinger” – was used by American troops in the WWII Pacific Theater as a shibboleth since Japanese troops were incapable saying the word.

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    • Definition of shibboleth…
      1a: a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning…the old shibboleths come rolling off their lips.
      —
      b: a widely held belief…today this book publishing shibboleth is a myth.
      —
      2a: TRUISM, PLATITUDE
      some truth in the shibboleth that crime does not pay.
      —
      b: a use of language regarded as distinctive of a particular group accent was…a shibboleth of social class.
      —
      c: a custom or usage regarded as distinguishing one group from others for most of the well-to-do in the town, dinner was a shibboleth, its hour dividing mankind.

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      • 4 Now Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites.” 5 The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan before the Ephraimites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then they would say to him, “Then say, ‘Shibboleth’!” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not [c]pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites.
        ~ Origin of the use of “shibboleth”.
        Judges 12 4-6 (NKJV)

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