Tag: Shakespeare
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An etymology goes “rogue”
The latest Star Wars move, Rogue One, is out this week. The director, Gareth Edwards explained that its title functions as a military call sign, like Air Force One, and alludes to the Rogue Squadron and Rogue Group, an important troop of Rebel fighters in the original Star Wars films. (Rogue One features Rebel spies.)…
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Behind the etymological mask of “clown”
The creepy crown craze – involving people dressed up as evil clowns frightening, threatening, and sometimes even attacking others – has spread from South Carolina all across the globe. But what about this word clown: Where did it spread from? Clown The word clown hasn’t been terrorizing the English language for as long as we…
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More from Mashed Radish
Mashed Radish is off this week, enjoying some craic with family in town. I have been terribly remiss, though, in linking you to my other writing online. Since the spring, I’ve been writing weekly on Slate about various language topics. Some recent pieces have included: How 80s Is the Slang in Stranger Things? and Branger.…
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Orlando
Orlando: The name of this central Florida city, even as it mourns, now stands as a symbol of American resilience and resolve against hate and terror. And the origin of its name, if we look to its deeper etymology, only underscores its strength. The City Beautiful, the city lore Orlando was first known as Jernigan, after Aaron…
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Flying, flap-eared pigs?
I wanted to point you to some other pieces I have around the web. You’re forewarned: Some strong language lies ahead. A few weeks back, I had a post on the OxfordWords blog: “Pig, dog, hog, and other etymologies from the farm.” As I note: We’ve left the farm and have wandered into the woods to discover where some very…
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