Tag: language
-
What is the “chest” in “chestnut”?
I don’t know about you, but I primarily associate the word chestnut with that opening octave in “The Christmas Song”: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” Every holiday season, this melody, this first line, this first word, really gets stuck in my head. This year, with chestnut nipping at my brain, I found myself asking: what is the chest in chestnut? The origin…
-
In a “galaxy”… so, so close to home
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… From its opening lines to its ticket lines, Star Wars, whose latest episode, The Force Awakens, opened this week, is as epic as its interstellar setting. But the etymology of this galaxy, it turns out, is so, so close to home. Galaxy English first gazes at the word galaxy, so to speak, late in…
-
Gerbils (and etymology) will bring us all together
For this post, I thought about writing on the etymology of demagogue or bigotry, which have been much in the ether lately, thanks especially to Donald Trump. But I thought twice, important as these words are right now. I thought twice because I wanted to write on something a bit more positive and, well, fun than many of…
-
Common word, uncommon power: behind “ban”
Donald Trump is once again making headlines – and turning heads. As his campaign issued in a news release this week: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on. In their coverage of it, many in the press…
-
Remembering “victim”
As The New York Times reported in the aftermath of yet another mass shooting in the US: Including the worst mass shooting of the year, which unfolded horrifically on Wednesday in San Bernardino, Calif., a total of 462 people have died and 1,314 have been wounded in such attacks this year, many of which occurred on streets…
Mashed Radish 