Month: April 2017

• Etymology of the Day: Chauffeur

  Do chauffeurs ever chafe at—or from—the long days spent behind the steering wheel? Etymologically they do, at least.

  John Kelly

  April 6, 2017

  Etymology of the Day

• The many folds of “complicit”

  After Ivanka Trump told CBS that “I don’t know what it means to be complicit,” Merriam-Webster helped her out with its definition: “Helping to commit a crime or do wrong in some way.” The dictionary, whose lexicographical sick burns have been lighting up Twitter, observed that complicit also trended back in March, used by Saturday…

  John Kelly

  April 5, 2017

  Feature

• “Showdowns” and “filibusters”: on the etymological floor of the US Senate

  There is a partisan showdown in the US Senate. Democrats have the votes to filibuster the nomination of Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, preventing the cloture needed to take up his vote. Will Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as he seems poised to do, use the nuclear option? Senate politics doesn’t just brim with conflict—it’s…

  John Kelly

  April 4, 2017

  Feature

• Etymology of the Day: Hoity-toity

  Hoity-toity is a very punchy way to dismiss someone as “arrogant” or “snooty.” But what’s so “superior” about hoity and toity? 

  John Kelly

  April 3, 2017

  Etymology of the Day