John Kelly
@mashedradish.bsky.social
Middle-school English teacher. Former dictionary editor and spokesperson. I write about etymology at mashedradish.com.
I wrote about the diarrhea. OK, I wrote about lettuce, which means I wrote about how the word is literally "milk." mashedradish.com/2026/08/03/l...
The word “lettuce” is made of “milk”
The etymology of “lettuce” takes us from tiny seeds to the entire galaxy.
mashedradish.com
Accidentally deleted my newsletter announcement post—once more with feeling, thanks @byagoda.bsky.social @ebrenner.bsky.social @michaelerard.bsky.social @mashedradish.bsky.social @wordorigins.bsky.social Nick Cave and Fernando Pessoa! lynneguist.substack.com/p/soccer-it-...
Soc(cer) it to me!
This time: football/soccer, the US's 250th, lotsa links, and Nick Cave distraction
lynneguist.substack.com
"... a lot of just want to see the Cyclops already!" Me, riffing in a fun interview with CNN about the origin and evolution of the word 'odyssey.' www.cnn.com/2026/07/23/e...
What makes a journey an ‘odyssey’ anyway? | CNN
The word “odyssey” today often evokes a long, spirited adventure that doesn’t reflect the misery Odysseus endured in Homer’s epic poem.
cnn.com
Today in staring at words too closely like their the sun: KEEP. What even are you, KEEP? I shield my eyes.
Mythic origin of ODYSSEUS given in Odyssey is HATED (BY GODS & MEN). Folk etymology, though heavy with valences. Actual origin? Obscure. Could be Pre-Greek *OD/LUKYEU-, probably referring to some Bronze Age dude who did a thing, hero worship ballooning from there. mashedradish.com/2026/07/18/o...
The etymological odyssey of “Odysseus”
Tell me, O Muse, of the origin of the name of the man of many devices. And why Latin calls him “Ulysses,” if you don’t mind.
mashedradish.com
RESCIND < Latin RESCINDERE, meaning TEAR OFF and by extension REPEAL. Its past participle is RESCISSUS. That form ultimately sets up the English RESCISSION. Oh, the -SCIND-/-SCISS- (TO CUT, SPLIT) part of this all is ultimately related to the English SHIT. You can put the rest together.
Not sure what this says about me, but the more I explore the capacities of generative AI the less it interests me. I'm not denying its potential power, just that how it does what it does is not nearly as interesting as the thoughts and expressions of some other, any other, human being.
America celebrated a SESQUICENTENNIAL (150 years) in 1926. It was a world's fair in Philadelphia—and it was also a bust, though nowhere nearly as bad as whatever is (or isn't) happening on the National Mall. philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/sesqu...
Sesquicentennial International Exposition (1926) - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
In 1926, Philadelphia hosted the Sesquicentennial, a world’s fair, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
philadelphiaencyclopedia.org
John Kelly@mashedradish.bsky.social · last mo.I mean, we could have gone with DUCENTIQUINQUAGINTENNIAL... mashedradish.com/2026/07/04/s...
I mean, we could have gone with DUCENTIQUINQUAGINTENNIAL... mashedradish.com/2026/07/04/s...
Semiquincentennial: the origins of an America-sized word
This big word for a big milestone is made up of lots of little Latin roots.
mashedradish.com
Everyone now and again, apropos of literally nothing, I like to remember that the word "crisp" comes from the Latin for "curled." How 'bout that?
if yglesis is so worried about the quality of american education he ought to get in the classroom
There were more people at Bloomsday that actually read Ulysses.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last mo.there were more people in my garage watching the World Cup last weekend
It was great talking to CNN's Harmeet Kaur on why we call a DRAW, as in TIE, a DRAW: www.cnn.com/2026/06/24/s...
Why does a ‘draw’ sometimes feel like a win? | CNN
Some of the most thrilling matches in this World Cup have resulted in a 0-0 score. Thanks, Cape Verde!
cnn.com
Very interesting: - OED first attests DREADLOCKS in 1960 - DREAD + LOCKS (of hair) - DREAD part may refer to Rastafarians' DREAD (fear, awe) of God (Jah) Also: - DREAD is from Old English ONDRÆDAN, "to advise against" - O/AND- (against) + RÆDAN (advise), source of READ (!!!)
Not a ton to say about the etymology of ALGAE as such. From the Latin ALGA, "seaweed," whose deeper roots are obscure. The plural of ALGA in Latin is ALGAE. Borrowed in early 1500s, used in singular early until, as now, the plural form took over.
This prompted me to look up its etymology. Neat! USHER comes from French "doorkeeper" (cf. huissier), ultimately from Latin OSTIUM (door), related to OS (mouth).
Benjamin Dreyer@bcdreyer.social · last mo.I would've guessed that "usher" was a verb before it was a noun, but I would've guessed wrong. 🤷🏻♂️
What are other examples of English words that feature a change in consonant pronunciation between singular forms, as with singular ALGA's 'hard g' and the plural ALGAE's 'soft g'? (Original Latin is a hard g. Suspect 'soft g' form prevails due to English phonological conditions, biases?)
John Kelly@mashedradish.bsky.social · 2mo agoNot a ton to say about the etymology of ALGAE as such. From the Latin ALGA, "seaweed," whose deeper roots are obscure. The plural of ALGA in Latin is ALGAE. Borrowed in early 1500s, used in singular early until, as now, the plural form took over.
Not a ton to say about the etymology of ALGAE as such. From the Latin ALGA, "seaweed," whose deeper roots are obscure. The plural of ALGA in Latin is ALGAE. Borrowed in early 1500s, used in singular early until, as now, the plural form took over.
English FATHER and Latin PATER? Related? You better believe they are. And something known as Grimm's Law explains how. And why not read about it in the context of ... the etymology of FOOTBALL? mashedradish.com/2026/06/20/f...
“Football”: a simple word with striking roots
Cock-threshing. Shrovetide. Hocktide. I-mutations. Grimm’s Law. Octopodes. Pajamas. Private schools, private parts, and the resistance thereof. The origin of “football” has it all…
mashedradish.com
Cock-threshing. Shrovetide. Hocktide. I-mutations. Grimm’s Law. Octopodes. Pajamas. Private schools. Private parts—and resistance thereof. The origin of FOOTBALL has it all. I go medieval on it. Like this lil guy on an animal bladder, once used to play the game. mashedradish.com/2026/06/20/f...
Cock-threshing. Shrovetide. Hocktide. I-mutations. Grimm’s Law. Octopodes. Pajamas. Private schools. Private parts—and resistance thereof. The origin of FOOTBALL has it all. I go medieval on it. Like this lil guy on an animal bladder, once used to play the game. mashedradish.com/2026/06/20/f...
Very interesting to me that DISLIKE, with its Latin-derived prefix, effectively supplanted the native MISLIKE. DISLIKE is recorded in the late 1500s. MISLIKE goes back to Old English (MISLICIAN). MIS- here is a Germanic prefix (bad, lack), not Greek-based one for "hate." LICIAN = to be pleasing.
Etymology in the news: MEMORANDUM (1/) Literally “to be remembered” in Latin. Formed from MEMORĀRE (to mention, bring up, name) as a so-called gerundive. - Gerundive = verbal adjective (derived from verb, functions as adjective) - Gerund = verbal noun (derived from verb, functions as noun)
He added it would be feminine, too, so takes the article 'die.' DIE UNAUFMERSAMKEITSTORERZIELUNG ‼️
John Kelly@mashedradish.bsky.social · 2mo agoAsked my pal and German professor what the "German word" would be for "someone scores every time I look away or leave the room real quick." Without missing a beat he replied: UNAUFMERSAMKEITSTORERZIELUNG Unaufmersamkeit = inattentiveness Tor = goal Erzielung = scoring
Asked my pal and German professor what the "German word" would be for "someone scores every time I look away or leave the room real quick." Without missing a beat he replied: UNAUFMERSAMKEITSTORERZIELUNG Unaufmersamkeit = inattentiveness Tor = goal Erzielung = scoring
FOOTBALL COCK-THRASHING HOCKTIDE The OED's first cite for FOOTBALL (1409) has it all! 👇
John Kelly@mashedradish.bsky.social · 2mo agoFOOTBALL is one of the words, etymologically speaking, I haven’t really looked up. It’s a simple compound of FOOT and BALL. Of course, there’s plenty to note on the cognates and historical forms of those constituent words. But not a ton else to say, right?
At the end of the term I asked my college creative wriing students to submit anonymous thoughts on AI. No real surprises: Mood ranges from resignation to despair, capitulation from embittered erosion of standards to total, feelings of betrayal from deep to furious. 1/
The first handful of citations for FOOTBALL from the OED alone are fascinating. And brutal. The game was seen as violent and base—and therefore was often banned. Plus, the earliest known cite, from 1409, mentions FOOTBALL (‘foteballe’) alongside ... COCK-THRASHING (‘cokthresshyng’)!
