YA Outside the Lines

 This month, we're discussing first crushes. That got me thinking...why do we call that first glimmer of attraction for someone a "crush"? Maybe, because they almost always end in heavy disappointment that feels like it permanently changes us. A quick jaunt down the rabbit hole of Google research told me that the word 'crush' likely evolved from the French verb, croissir , which means to smash or break something. By the 1500s, the word had taken on the mean "to crowd together." By the 1800's, the word 'mash' became popular, slang for infatuation or the object of an infatuation. The word, 'masher' extended the meaning to describe men who made unwelcome and often bold overtures toward women. And thus, 'crush' became cemented in the lexicon as a somewhat softer version of mash.  Either way, mash or crush to this day describes that sudden onset of intense interest and attraction toward someone who's usually unaware of our in...