Mashed Radish

Mashed Radish

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

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  • Miscreants, quarry, and records: changes of “heart”

    On Valentine’s Day, hearts are everywhere. Candy hearts. Heart emoji. Every imaginable sort of heart-shaped chocolate, greeting card, decorative banner, bric-a-brac. Hearts even swell in our words – and not just the likes sweetheart or, depending on how feel about the holiday, heartsick. I grant you no quarry, you discordant, incredulous, myocardial miscreant! Yes, these… Read more.

    John Kelly
    February 14, 2017
    Uncategorized

  • The many “sist”-ers of persist and resist

    Persist and resist come from a very active, and in many ways activist, Latin verb.  “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted,” US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after he silenced his colleague, Elizabeth Warren, when she was opposing now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions during his confirmation. But McConnell’s words spectacularly backfired:… Read more.

    John Kelly
    February 10, 2017
    Uncategorized

  • Issuing an etymological “executive order”

    Executive, first found in Middle English, goes all the way back to Latin, but it’s not until the presidency of Abraham Lincoln that we see executive order.  Since taking office, President Trump has issued eight executive orders. As his most controversial directive, the travel ban, goes to court, let’s go into the history of the word… Read more.

    John Kelly
    February 7, 2017
    Uncategorized

  • Mashed Radish reader survey

    Survey ultimately comes from the Latin supervidere, “to oversee,” literally to “look over (a place).” On that note, I want to know what you think about Mashed Radish. What do you like or dislike? What else would you be interested in seeing from the  blog? So, I’ve put together a short survey. It’s only 10 questions and… Read more.

    John Kelly
    February 6, 2017
    Uncategorized

  • Why do we call them “falcons”?

    The falcon probably takes its name from the “sickle” shape of its beak, talons, or wings. This Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons will take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI in Houston, Texas. I’ve previously taken on the etymology of patriot, which ultimately derives from the Greek word for “father” and, curiously, didn’t always… Read more.

    John Kelly
    February 3, 2017
    Uncategorized

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