Recent Posts

21

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« Last post by pooka on January 08, 2026, 12:28:12 PM »

I was today years old when I wondered this. 
https://www.etymonline.com/word/mineral

22

English & Linguistics / Re: Interesting language stuff

« Last post by rivka 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.

23

English & Linguistics / Re: Interesting language stuff

« Last post by Tante Shvester on December 11, 2025, 08:35:50 PM »

Apparently Calibri font is too Woke and too expensive for the current administration.

24

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« Last post by Jonathon on December 09, 2025, 09:14:18 AM »

 

25

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« Last post by Tante Shvester on December 09, 2025, 02:11:58 AM »

If that little drummer boy started banging on his drum after I just got my baby to sleep, there would be repercussions.

26

English & Linguistics / Re: I hate journalistic writing

« Last post by Brinestone on November 24, 2025, 07:16:52 AM »

Headline I saw today:

"Migraine Triggers May Have an Unexpected Twist"

The article was about how "surprisal" often led to migraine attacks in patients with chronic migraine, maybe and that the unexpectedness of the trigger seemed to matter more than the trigger itself.

I feel like this is a missed opportunity for "Migraine Triggers Have a Surprise Twist."

Unexpected is fine. Surprise would have been better with how often they used the word surprisal.

27

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« Last post by Tante Shvester on November 10, 2025, 04:50:26 AM »

Walkie-Talkie is such a ridiculous name for a handheld two-way radio.  It's like they let the toddlers name it (it was the Army, though).  I work with people from all over, so I asked what they call it in their languages.   In Spanish it's walkie talkie.  In French it's talkie walkie (so they changed it, but didn't really improve it).  In Italian it's walkie talkie.  In Swahili it's walkie talkie. In Haitian Creole it's walkie talkie.

I asked the internet to translate it to Hebrew, German, and Albanian.  It's walkie talkie, walkie talkie and . . . Radio Dore. 

28

English & Linguistics / Re: I hate journalistic writing

« Last post by rivka 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.)

29

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« Last post by Tante Shvester on October 24, 2025, 09:26:56 AM »

We can only pre-empt.  No one post-empts, or just empts.

30

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« Last post by Tante Shvester on September 29, 2025, 11:29:00 AM »

Debut and Rebut do not rhyme.  Not even close.


That is all.