Editing Fun (section)

==Etymology and usage==
The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining media, high merriment,<ref>{{cite book|last=Bailey|first=Nathan|title=An universal etymological English dictionary: comprehending the derivations ...|url=https://archive.org/details/universaletymol00bail|year=1775|publisher=R. Ware, W. Innys|pages=FU|isbn=978-1-234-36393-2}}</ref> and amusement. Although its etymology is uncertain,<ref name=def/> it has been speculated that it may be derived from Middle English ''{{Lang|enm|fonne}}'' (fool) and ''{{Lang|enm|fonnen}}'' (the one fooling the other).<ref>{{cite book |last=Andreyev |first=Judith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKRqAHhVa0gC&pg=PA26 |title=Wondering about Words: D'où Viennent Les Mots Anglais ? |publisher=Bréal; BREAL |year=2005 |isbn=978-2749503059 |pages=26}}</ref> An 18th century meaning (still used in [[Orkney]] and [[Shetland]]<ref name=def/>) was "cheat, trick, hoax", a meaning still retained in the phrase "to make fun of".<ref>{{cite book|last=Cousineau|first=Phil|title=The Painted Word: A Treasure Chest of Remarkable Words and Their Origins|year=2012|publisher=Cleis Press|isbn=978-1-936740-25-3|pages=156}}</ref>

{{Blockquote| ''The landlady was going to reply, but was prevented by the peace-making sergeant, sorely to the displeasure of Partridge, who was a great lover of what is called '''fun''', and a great promoter of those harmless quarrels which tend rather to the production of comical than tragical incidents.'' <br />[[Henry Fielding]], ''[[The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling]]'' (1749)<ref>{{cite book|last=Fielding|first=Henry|title=The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling|year= 1749|publisher=Penguin Books (1966)|pages=458 (Book 9, Ch.6)}}</ref> }}

The way the word ''fun'' is used demonstrates its distinctive elusiveness and [[happiness]]. [[Phrase|Expressions]] such as "[[wikt:have fun|Have fun]]!" and "That was fun!" indicate that fun is pleasant, personal, and to some extent unpredictable. Expressions such as "I was [[making fun of]] myself" convey the sense that fun is something that can be amusing and not to be taken seriously. The adjective "funny" has two meanings, which often need to be clarified between a speaker and listener. One meaning is "amusing, jocular, droll" and the other meaning is "odd, quirky, peculiar". These differences indicate the evanescent and experiential nature of fun and the difficulty of distinguishing "fun" from "enjoyment".<ref>{{cite web |author=Alan Dix |title=Fun Systematically |url=http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/~dixa/papers/ECCE-fun-2004/ecce-alan-fun-panel.pdf |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613021607/http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/~dixa/papers/ECCE-fun-2004/ecce-alan-fun-panel.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-13 |access-date=November 1, 2010}}</ref>

Fun's evanescence can be seen when an activity regarded as fun becomes goal-oriented. Many physical activities and individual sports are regarded as fun until the participant seeks to win a competition, at which point, much of the fun may disappear as the individual's focus tightens. Surfing is an example. If you are a "mellow soul" (not in a competition or engaging in extreme sport) "once you're riding waves, you're guaranteed to be having fun".<ref>{{cite book|last=Alderson|first=Alf|title=Surfing: A Beginner's Guide|year=2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=Chichester, England|at=Preface|isbn=978-0-470-51654-6}}</ref>

The pleasure of fun can be seen by the numerous efforts to harness its positive associations. For example, there are many books on serious subjects, about skills such as music, mathematics and languages, normally quite difficult to master, which have "fun" added to the title.<ref>{{cite book|last=Matz|first=Carol|title=Famous & Fun Classic Themes – 13 Appealing Arrangements for Early Elementary to Elementary Pianists|year=2003|publisher=Alfred Music Publishing}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=de Guzmán|first=Miguel|title=The Countingbury Tales: Fun With Mathematics|year=2000|publisher=World Scientific Publishing Company|location=River Edge, NJ, Covent Garden, London|isbn=978-981-02-4032-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Akiyama|first=Nobuo|title=Learn Japanese (Nihongo): The Fast and Fun Way|year=1999|publisher=Barron's Educational Series|isbn=978-0-7641-0623-1|author2=Carol Akiyama}}</ref>