Dutch is a member of the western branch of the Germanic family of languages, as is English. Several compound words, whose combination of parts contributes a new meaning, have been borrowed from Dutch into English. The word poppycock, which came into English in the 19th century, literally means `soft excrement', which evolved into its modern meaning of `nonsense'. The association between words for faeces and words meaning rubbish has also given us the stronger terms `crap', `cack', and `bullshit'. Poppycock has nothing to do with either poppies or cocks, but the perception that this was an odd mixture may have contributed to the meaning of nonsense. It is an informal term, often used on its own as a mild expletive, or in combination with a bunch /load of. Another compound word which has an interesting juxtaposition of parts is maelstrom. From the obsolete Dutch 17th century maelstroom meaning `whirl-stream', it originally denoted an authentic strong tidal current off the west coast of Norway, responsible for shipwrecks. This specialized sense, which is often capitalized, has been superseded by the much more common figurative sense of maelstrom, meaning a turbulent confusion, e.g. a maelstrom of emotions. It is quite a literary word, much less common in speech than in writing. The second part `strom' evokes `storm' which has reinforced the meaning of tumult.