Mashed Radish

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. Read more.

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 Read more.

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 Read more.

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? Read more.

John Kelly

April 3, 2017

Etymology of the Day
“Delirious”: literary hoax, ancient metaphor

Around April Fool’s Day in 1708, Jonathan Swift, ever mischievous, set out to humiliate one, John Partridge, a noted English astrologer and almanac-maker. Under the pseudonym Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq., Swift published “Predictions for the Year 1708,” which foretold Partridge would die of a “raging fever” on March 29 that year. To deepen the prank, Swift Read more.

John Kelly

March 31, 2017

Feature

Etymology of the Day: Chauffeur

The many folds of “complicit”

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

Etymology of the Day: Hoity-toity

“Delirious”: literary hoax, ancient metaphor