Using "right" to mean "correct" is handedist

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The reason why we do so is because historically right-handed people were considered superior to left-handed people.

Right (LOL)

My NT cousin says this too. She's left handed.

It's technically correct but incredibly pedantic, I don't think anyone means it this way anymore.

Yes, there is some truth to that.

The word "dextrous", to mean talented with one's hands, comes from the latin "dexter", meaning "right" (the direction.)
And the word "sinister" is borrowed from the latin word for "left" (left handed people were considered "sinister".)

But as TUF said, the connotations of words change over time - a left handed person can now be described as "dextrous", and there are right-handed people who are "sinister". The word "ambidextrous" might be very confusing if taken back to its literal roots ("right handed on both sides." )

I've never even remotely thought of it in terms of left or right handedness. I have thought of it in terms of political right/ left though, and wondered about the origin.
Is handedness really what it derives from?

We don't use "høyre" (right as in not left) to say correct in Norwegian, we use korrekt or riktig, the latter seems like it might be related to right and German richtig.

From seating arrangements originally. Around the time of the French Revolution, their parliament polarised into supporters of the King and supporters of a republic. They didn't like sitting next to each other much, so arranged themselves either side of the room - royalists to the right of the president, and the republicans to the left.

"left out"

Leftovers

Fascinating!

I tend to use the word "correct" instead of "right" just because the meaning is clearer. I think of "correct" as meaning factually accurate, while "right" can have the implication of moral rightness, or having more virtue.

I'm left handed, but I really don't care. Things have gotten way to PC enough as it is. We don't need lefties being triggered by phrases such as "two left feet" to mean a clumsy person, or "left-handed compliment", meaning an insult flimsily disguised as a compliment.

Like a lot of other lefties, I've even embraced the word "sinister".

Yup. The word "left" stems from the Old English word "lyft" - meaning weak/worthless/foolish.

Well...

The most well known serial killer on TV is the character named "Dexter".

And the word "dexter" in Latin means "right". So that clear slam at the right handed (by associating the direction right with serial murder) could be considered a kind of "linguistic affirmative action" to benefit the left handed.


So there!

The way that my ancient history professor explained it: back in Roman times if you met a stranger you shook hands with them. And you shook right hands. That way both of your functioning hands are occupied for a moment ...so neither you nor the stranger can stab the other with a bladed weapon. So both of you can be confident of the other's friendly intent.

But if the stranger shook with his left hand then he would be considered "sinister" (in both senses of the word). Or if he shook with the right, but at the same time pulled out a weapon with his left - also sinister.

So that's how being "sinister" (left handed) came to be thought of as "sinister" (evil in intent).Makes sense.

Did you know that "OK" stood for "all correct" (sic) ?

Have heard that.

That it was a deliberate misspelling by newspaper editors on written copy to show that it was ready to be printed. The printers would know that it was not meant to be printed because the deliberate misspelling would flag it.

Informative... but it also made me laugh... I kept hearing the music of Steelers Wheel.. royalists to the right of me, republicans to the left, here I am, stuck in the middle with you...

“OK” is the one “common” Englisg term which has probably infiltrated the most languages, and has borrowed into many.