Month: May 2018

• Lava: the watery roots of a fiery word

  On Hawaii’s Big Island, the Kilauea volcano has been erupting for weeks, its lava consuming whole cars, roads, and homes as it generates deadly vog and laze and heaves lava bombs. More alarms were raised this week as the lava’s molten march risked explosions at a geothermal power station. But for such a fiery phenomenon,…

  John Kelly

  May 29, 2018

  Feature

• Deducing the roots of “duke”

  Upon their marriage today, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle don’t just become husband and wife. They also become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Now, I won’t dare untangle the long and complex history of British peerage, but I will track down the origin of two of its titles, duke and duchess.

  John Kelly

  May 19, 2018

  Feature

• It’s been five years of Mashed Radish. This calls for “punch.”

  Mashed Radish turned five this week—and of course I forgot its birthday. Surely I was lost in the origin of some word or another. Still, the occasion calls for some celebration. Since we’re marking five years, why don’t we toast with some punch?

  John Kelly

  May 12, 2018

  Feature

• The long, etymological trek of “caravan”

  A so-called caravan has arrived at the US border after trekking thousands of miles across Mexico from Central America. Now numbering in the hundreds, the people, including many women and children, are seeking asylum in the US from violence back home. Caravan came to prominence earlier in April after Donald Trump tweeted an ominous reference…

  John Kelly

  May 1, 2018

  Feature