Mashed Radish

Mashed Radish

Etymology at the intersection of news, life, and everyday language.

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  • Let the prisoner “talk”: the origin of “parole”

    Parole comes from the French for “word” or “speech.”  After nine years in prison, OJ Simpson was granted parole on Thursday, releasing him early from his 33-year sentence for armed robbery. Parole comes with a strict set of terms, conditions, and supervision, of course, but it’s grounded, essentially, in the prisoner’s word of honor that… Read more.

    John Kelly
    July 21, 2017
    Feature

  • Etymology of the day: wilderness

    Etymology of the day: wilderness

    #EtymologyOfTheDay: WILDERNESS goes back to the Old English for WILD DEER, originally any sort of WILD ANIMAL or BEAST. pic.twitter.com/ksMLGGJWP7 — John Kelly 🕳️🐇 (@mashedradish) July 20, 2017 m ∫ r ∫ Read more.

    John Kelly
    July 20, 2017
    Etymology of the Day

  • Etymology of the day: hot dog

    #EtymologyOfTheDay: The DOG in HOT DOG began as a wry reference to 19c beliefs that sausages contained, yes, dog meat. #NationalHotDogDay pic.twitter.com/6T8sd6DnBD — John Kelly 🕳️🐇 (@mashedradish) July 19, 2017 A quick note Earlier this year, I was posting short “etymologies of the day” on the blog, a practice that I’ve continued on Twitter. I… Read more.

    John Kelly
    July 19, 2017
    Etymology of the Day

  • Laughingstock, gaping-stocking, scoffing-stock, and other -stock compounds

    “I think we are pretty close to a laughingstock at this point,” Walter Shaub told the New York Times after he resigned as the head of the Office of Government Ethics earlier this month. Shaub felt the Trump administration’s conflicts of interest, inter alia, are severely undermining his office’s credibility and efficacy, and compelled him… Read more.

    John Kelly
    July 18, 2017
    Feature

  • Storming the etymological “bastille”

    Today, the 14th of July, marks Bastille Day in France. The holiday commemorates the same date in 1789 when citizens stormed the Bastille—a state prison, armory, and symbol of royal authority in Paris—sparking the French Revolution. But what is a bastille, and where does this word come from? Read more.

    John Kelly
    July 14, 2017
    Feature

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