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English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day
« on: January 29, 2026, 10:13:48 PM »
Yeah, once I realized that was the reason, it made perfect sense.
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English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day
« on: January 29, 2026, 03:35:47 PM »
It's fairly consistent with what I have read from various sources before.
And there's also this: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5478715/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAshkenaz%E2%80%9D%20is%20one%20of%20the,(Jeremiah%2051%3A27).
(I was initially confused as to why this was appearing in PubMed of all places, but it's about genetics. Just like that Reddit post, actually. I guess Dara Horn is right.)
And there's also this: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5478715/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAshkenaz%E2%80%9D%20is%20one%20of%20the,(Jeremiah%2051%3A27).
(I was initially confused as to why this was appearing in PubMed of all places, but it's about genetics. Just like that Reddit post, actually. I guess Dara Horn is right.)
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English & Linguistics / Re: Eggcorns
« on: January 29, 2026, 03:27:05 PM »my friend who used to do close captioning says automated closed captioning in use now makes these kind of mistakes all the time.Your friend is very correct. It's one of the easiest ways for me to tell if CC has been done by a human or AI. Humans make mistakes too, but they are different.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Interesting language stuff
« on: December 11, 2025, 11:03:07 PM »
I was meaning to post that here. It makes my brain hurt. In a WTH sort of way.
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English & Linguistics / Re: I hate journalistic writing
« on: October 31, 2025, 03:36:46 PM »
Article title on an academic site: "The Stakes of Vampire Scholarship".
Seriously? Who thought that was a good idea? (The article is a book review, and is actually moderately interesting.)
Seriously? Who thought that was a good idea? (The article is a book review, and is actually moderately interesting.)
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English & Linguistics / Re: I hate journalistic writing
« on: September 05, 2025, 12:02:01 PM »
Um. "More lighting, more wildfire"
Well, let's talk about that headline (and the content that followed). "Lighting" and "lightning" are very different things, and repeatedly using the two words interchangeably is not impressive. In the five hours since the email went out, they have managed to fix all the instances of "lighting" on the web version, at least. And they changed the article title, so no more oddly-singular "wildfire" either.
No correction notice, though.
Well, let's talk about that headline (and the content that followed). "Lighting" and "lightning" are very different things, and repeatedly using the two words interchangeably is not impressive. In the five hours since the email went out, they have managed to fix all the instances of "lighting" on the web version, at least. And they changed the article title, so no more oddly-singular "wildfire" either.
No correction notice, though.
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English & Linguistics / Re: I hate journalistic writing
« on: August 11, 2025, 01:04:20 PM »
I guess they could have said "hits the brake(s)" for the other meaning. But yeah.
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English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day
« on: June 18, 2025, 12:03:26 AM »Exactly.It would explain the gourmet tendencies.The hints were there from the beginning-- a trail of tiny breadcrumbs!
It so was.Side note: I love that that's the name of the species.Right? Lower Decks was a brilliant show.
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English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day
« on: June 17, 2025, 11:01:12 AM »
It would explain the gourmet tendencies.
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English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day
« on: June 16, 2025, 07:39:30 PM »
Do you lay many eggs?
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English & Linguistics / Re: Quotes from work
« on: February 28, 2025, 01:06:32 PM »
Quote from a financial-aid-related podcast I am listening to: "Well, when the zombie apocalypse finally does come, just sign me up for hiding in a cave with a bunch of financial aid administrators!"
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English & Linguistics / Re: You keep on using that word
« on: January 29, 2025, 10:57:56 AM »
And the presenters are all part of a law firm that specializes in education-related law.
In her defense, she was talking about things triggered by recent actions of the Crackpot-In-Chief. So maybe that's where it came from.
In her defense, she was talking about things triggered by recent actions of the Crackpot-In-Chief. So maybe that's where it came from.
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English & Linguistics / Re: You keep on using that word
« on: January 29, 2025, 10:40:29 AM »
Just heard in a webinar "thanks to our crackpot team".
Um.
Um.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...
« on: January 12, 2025, 12:30:10 PM »
I think most of us had a higher tolerance for bad writing at that age.
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English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...
« on: October 08, 2024, 06:07:02 PM »
The UCLA one sounds about right.
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English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation
« on: October 06, 2024, 10:46:23 PM »
Heh. I like the Kiwi version.
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English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation
« on: September 25, 2024, 06:37:07 PM »I've been watching an Australian show (to follow up all the UK ones I was watching before that). Lots of odd (to my ears, at least) slang and word usageOne last batch:
pregnant to him = pregnant by him (although this one I mostly see in older books and such) or pregnant with his child
pash = smooch
buck's night = stag night
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English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation
« on: September 23, 2024, 05:14:05 PM »I also knew arvo, root, and combi, but the rest were new to me.
I think I had heard arvo before. And definitely chook. I don't think I knew any of the others.
A few more:
dunny = toilet, especially porta-potty-type
spliff = joint (in the pot sense)
rack off = emphatic "go away!"
grizzling = that noise a baby makes that's not quite crying, similar to whimpering or kvetching
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English & Linguistics / Re: New column-type thingy
« on: September 23, 2024, 05:07:50 PM »
Even in fictional dialogue?
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English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation
« on: September 20, 2024, 03:18:55 PM »"You've got tickets on yourself" is pretty great.Yeah, and that one I was pretty sure of the meaning by context, but looked it up to confirm.
Some of the others I was completely
until I looked them up.
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English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation
« on: September 20, 2024, 12:14:06 AM »
I've been watching an Australian show (to follow up all the UK ones I was watching before that). Lots of odd (to my ears, at least) slang and word usage, including:
doona = duvet
arvo = afternoon
chook = chicken (I knew this one already, but it's still weird)
off his/her face = very drunk or high
root (noun or verb) = mildly rude word for sex
rooted = broken
ute = truck or SUV
nursing babies = working as a nurse with babies
Combi/Kombi = VW van (or similar) meant for transporting both people and lots of stuff
you've got tickets on yourself = seriously conceited
doona = duvet
arvo = afternoon
chook = chicken (I knew this one already, but it's still weird)
off his/her face = very drunk or high
root (noun or verb) = mildly rude word for sex
rooted = broken
ute = truck or SUV
nursing babies = working as a nurse with babies
Combi/Kombi = VW van (or similar) meant for transporting both people and lots of stuff
you've got tickets on yourself = seriously conceited
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English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...
« on: July 19, 2024, 11:18:48 AM »
I have seen it done well -- just enough to give you the flavor, without making your eyes cross -- and done very badly. And everything in between. The Outlander books mostly do it well.