Useless Etymology

Offbeat word origins by @jesszafarris, author, ONCE UPON A WORD ( currently @adweek, formerly @writersdigest

[Useless Etymology @UselessEty]

Did you know that “hello” didn’t become a standard greeting until the introduction of the Bell telephone in 1876?

It appeared a bit before that in a couple of records from the 1820s and 30s, but it wasn’t commonly used—and it didn’t quite mean the same thing.

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

Next week, on Oct. 22 at 7pm, I'm speaking about my book Useless Etymology with Professor Sarah Cole at Porter Square Books' Cambridge, MA, location.

Come by to learn about your favorite words and meet a few new ones too!

🔗 RSVP here: https://t.co/axYNhysEKD

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

📚 Come learn about words with me! I’ll be popping into bookstores, libraries, and other establishments in NYC, CT, VT, and TN over the coming months.

First up: Meet me at Reilly’s Plates and Pours on Oct. 8 for a casual toast. No formal talk/signing here, but happy to chat.

[Useless Etymology @UselessEty]

The word "giddy" literally means "possessed by a god," from the Old English gydig meaning "insane" (compound of Proto-Germanic *gudam "god" + *-ig "possessed").

[RobWords @robwordsYT]

I'VE STARTED A PODCAST!

Sorry to shout. Excited.

In "Words Unravelled" supreme word nerd and ace human being @JessZafarris and I unravel the mysteries behind everyday terms.

Be among the first to watch or listen:

LISTEN: https://t.co/5HSwOMg7HQ
WATCH: https://t.co/sBmHwjCVDc

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

Ever run into the verb “blandish”?

In the 14th c., this wasn’t an adjective describing something “somewhat bland,” but rather was a verb in the same way as the word “brandish (a weapon)” is a verb.

You may have seen it in a lit or religion class.

“Blandish” means “to flatter.”

[Chance McClain @TexasChance]

The second episode of Words Unravelled dropped. This time, @robwordsYT & @JessZafarris share eggcorns and malapropisms. As I noted last week, you deserve a distraction from the mundane and this is it. https://t.co/UUwPIT0iMP

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

Look ma, I made the news! This @BostonGlobe piece previews my upcoming talk at @PorterSqBooks in conversation with Sarah Cole (@Bookeditor) about my book 🔥 WORDS FROM HELL 🔥

Hope to see my Bostonian friends there!

[RobWords @robwordsYT]

A bit of me and @JessZafarris chatting French effluence:

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

The latest episode of "Words Unravelled" is out!

In this edition, @robwordsYT and I debunk and clarify common etymology myths, from apparent acronyms to the truth about "butterfly." Fair warning—this one contains some salty language.
https://t.co/2rVgLp0r4G

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

Today on my site, Useless Etymology: Learn about the surprisingly tragic origin of "nostalgia," which was a medical diagnosis long before it entered its poetic and marketing uses.

https://t.co/bE3yabG9Bq

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

An etymological and comix-centric history of the grawlix and other entertaining words you didn’t know you needed.

(Note: In the captions, R. Crumb’s last name is misspelled.)

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

WORDS FROM HELL has a second birthday today! We're celebrating the UK release of this naughty little number.

Leap into the legendary, lewd and alarming histories of the darkest words you know -- and some you don't.

[Useless Etymology @UselessEty]

Furthermore, "literally" is itself figurative.

"Literal" implies interpreting meaning "to the letter"—from Latin litera/littera "letter, alphabetic sign"—which is an idiom meaning "according to the most basic definition" but doesn't pertain inherently to letters themselves.

[Useless Etymology @UselessEty]

"Literally" has been used to mean "figuratively" or for emphasis since the 17th century.

Literary examples:

• Adventures of Tom Sawyer (“literally rolling in wealth”)
• Nicholas Nickelby (Squeers "literally feasted his eyes" on Smike)
• Great Gatsby (“literally glowed”)

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

Semi-onomatopoeic words for bodily (mal)functions:

Eructation (n): "a belching forth," from Latin ex "out" + ructare "to belch"

Balbutient (adj): "stammering," from Latin balbus, meant to imitate meaningless syllables

Stertorous (adj): "snoring," from Latin stertere "snore"

[League of the Lexicon @LeagueOfLexicon]

Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language was 8 years in the writing. But frankly, he didn't always give his work 100%. Of TROLLYDAMES, for instance, he says: "Of this word I know not the meaning."
Here are some of my favourite entries from the great man of letters.

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

Francis Grose's 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue is a treasure trove.

Today I'm cackling at "Thingstable": a way to not-so-subtly insult an officer by implying that the first syllable of "constable" sounds like the "monosyllable"—which is a euphemism for the word "cunt."

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

Did someone (er, @HuinGuillaume) say etymology?!

One of my favorites is “preposterous,” which is a Latin word joke because it literally means “before-behinderous” and is therefore autological (self-describing).

Latin Prae/pre- “before” + post “after, behind” + adjective ending

[David Teicher @Aerocles]

Ok, someone at @HBO or @netflix or @appleTV NEEDS to make a show about Senatrix Theodora called “Pornocracy”

Something like “Weeds meets The Borgias”

@JessZafarris I hope you don’t mind me posting this excerpt of your book but I would gladly co-write the pilot with you…

[Jess Zafarris 📚 @JessZafarris]

UPDATE

he is, in fact, the coolest pastor ever