Tag: Greek

• The “Bureau” of Etymological Investigation

  A week out, Donald Trump’s firing of James Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has only raised more questions than it answers. In the meantime, let’s put the word bureau under an etymological investigation.

  John Kelly

  May 16, 2017

  Feature

• Taking a hit of etymology for 4/20

  It’s April 20, or as many marijuana enthusiasts know it well, 4/20. Today, especially when the clocks strike 4:20pm, many people will light a joint or smoke a bowl in celebration of the herb. Contrary to all the myths about police codes, the number 420 is variously used to refer to marijuana thanks to a…

  John Kelly

  April 20, 2017

  Feature

• The “arm” bone’s connected to the…”armada” bone?

  Remember that “armada” of warships Trump said was being sent towards the Korean peninsula as a warning to North Korea? It turns out it was actually headed in the opposite direction. Oops. Outside of history class and the rhetoric of war, we don’t hear the word armada too often, but the word is related to…

  John Kelly

  April 19, 2017

  Feature

• The chaos of “gas”

  We’ve been sick with the word gas lately. First, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad horrifically attacked, not for the first time, his own people with chemical weapons, likely sarin gas. Then, he “fake-newsed” the horrific act by calling it a fabrication. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer—bizarrely, perversely—told reporters Hitler never gassed his people like…

  John Kelly

  April 14, 2017

  Feature

• Etymology of the Day: Galoshes

  If it’s raining outside, you might want to put on your “log-feet”—er, galoshes. Good thing we don’t look to etymology for fashion tips. Galoshes English put on the word galosh—which we usually use as galoshes, because footwear comes in pairs—in the late 14th century. Back then, galoshes named a variety of boots and shoes, though…

  John Kelly

  April 13, 2017

  Etymology of the Day