"Bigot," for example, was a word of obscure origin that originally referred to a religious zealot, but that by the 1920's could be applied to someone with a narrow-minded animus against other races or religions.
"Shandy" is a word of obscure origin meaning "crack-brained, half-crazy".
Three railways reached Cripple Creek (whose name is of obscure origin) between 1893 and 1901.
A Nepalese era (ad 878) of obscure origin was commonly used in Nepal until modern times.
The name biritch, of obscure origin, had been corrupted to bridge by the 1880s.
(I've never used flagitious, an adjective of obscure origin meaning "wicked"; maybe in the next campaign season).
The expression derives from "kicking the bucket," a euphemism for dying of obscure origin but blunt and vivid suggestiveness.
The most popular is Amtsschimmel, a word of obscure origin that translates roughly as "the office horse".
Shisunaga, or Susunaga, the founder, was of obscure origin and may have initially served as Magadhan viceroy at Kashi (Varanasi).
Another cultural touchstone of obscure origin comes under examination in Amanda Hess's piece, for Slate, about the evolution of People's "Sexiest Man Alive" franchise.
Of obscure origin, it probably passed through Iran to the Mediterranean area and in about 1875 arrived in California and Florida.
