The term "fan" to mean avid supporter only came into popular use in the 19th century. Before that, words like "kranks," "habitués" and "lions" were used. There were even equivalents of today's fandoms that focus on a specific performer (like Swifties and Cumberbitches) in the form of Lisztians, who loved the composer Franz Liszt. Atlas Obscura spoke with Daniel Cavicchi, an American Studies scholar, about the history of fans and the words we've used to describe them. “How you name yourself says a lot about what you think of yourself and your very intense passions,” Cavicchi says. “But at the same time, another name or variation on the name, or another use of your name, maybe in a derogatory sense, may say something about what the culture thinks about you.”
I accidentally created the word "uncestors" from a typo. It now means all of the people in the past who aren't your ancestors. Go forth and talk about your uncestors from this day forth!
(from Neo-Latin de fenestrā) 1. The act of throwing someone or something out of a window. 2. A swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office).
The term was coined around the time of an incident in Prague Castle in the year 1618.
President Joe Biden and Donald Trump don't want to use their opponents' names, instead favoring nicknames and circumlocutions like"the former guy" and "Sleepy Joe." For @TheConversationUS, Roger J. Kreuz takes a look at Biden's rhetorical tactic — the Voldemort effect, or a cardinal principle of advertising: never mention your competitor by name. He also examines Trump's approach of othering via mispronouncing names and tapping into xenophobia.
I've just come across the Old English compound word "hord-wynn" (hoard-joy), which refers to treasure that delights.
That's how I'm going to be thinking of my library from now on 🥰 📚 #Life#Books#Words#Etymology
For lovers of #writing and #gardening, Nancy Lawson's essay on what language we have been taught to use is very thought-provoking. Is a lawn well-kept, manicured, pristine -- or undergrown? So many of the #words used to denigrate a thriving #garden filled with #bees and #birds imply something savage that needs to be beaten into submission: aggressive, weedy, pest, unruly. Let's call them lush, exuberant, and alive!
To celebrate #WorldBartenderDay, why not watch one of our earliest videos, about the origins of cocktails and the first celebrity bartender, Jerry Thomas. http://youtu.be/q9N0MYtcpr4
Whenever I use the word "short" in an expression e.g. "I came up short" "sorry if I was short with you" "I stopped short of..." it feels like a self-referential play on words but, then I remember, on the internet nobody knows you're short!
Did you know today is #NationalCookASweetPotatoDay? Neither did we, but hey, any excuse for sweet potatoes is good enough for us! And while you’re cooking, why not learn some fascinating history about this particular root vegetable: https://youtu.be/KHf0tnV9LQ0