Offbeat word origins by @jesszafarris, author, ONCE UPON A WORD (amzn.to/3a7Ea), currently @adweek, formerly @writersdigest
Joined November 2017
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426 Photos and videos
Pinned Tweet
7 Mar 2021
Did you know that “hello” didn’t become a standard greeting until the introduction of the Bell telephone in 1876?
It appeared a bit before that in a couple of records from the 1820s and 30s, but it wasn’t commonly used—and it didn’t quite mean the same thing.
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Useless Etymology retweeted
14 Oct 2025
Next week, on Oct. 22 at 7pm, I'm speaking about my book Useless Etymology with Professor Sarah Cole at Porter Square Books' Cambridge, MA, location.
Come by to learn about your favorite words and meet a few new ones too!
🔗 RSVP here: portersquarebooks.com/event/…
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5 Oct 2025
📚 Come learn about words with me! I’ll be popping into bookstores, libraries, and other establishments in NYC, CT, VT, and TN over the coming months.
First up: Meet me at Reilly’s Plates and Pours on Oct. 8 for a casual toast. No formal talk/signing here, but happy to chat.
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9 Aug 2024
The word "giddy" literally means "possessed by a god," from the Old English gydig meaning "insane" (compound of Proto-Germanic *gudam "god" *-ig "possessed").
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10 Apr 2024
I'VE STARTED A PODCAST!
Sorry to shout. Excited.
In "Words Unravelled" supreme word nerd and ace human being @JessZafarris and I unravel the mysteries behind everyday terms.
Be among the first to watch or listen:
LISTEN: podfollow.com/words-unravell…
WATCH: youtu.be/ThxUBOUnRLM
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Useless Etymology retweeted
13 Apr 2024
Ever run into the verb “blandish”?
In the 14th c., this wasn’t an adjective describing something “somewhat bland,” but rather was a verb in the same way as the word “brandish (a weapon)” is a verb.
You may have seen it in a lit or religion class.
“Blandish” means “to flatter.”
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17 Apr 2024
The second episode of Words Unravelled dropped. This time, @robwordsYT & @JessZafarris share eggcorns and malapropisms. As I noted last week, you deserve a distraction from the mundane and this is it. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
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Useless Etymology retweeted
19 Apr 2024
Look ma, I made the news! This @BostonGlobe piece previews my upcoming talk at @PorterSqBooks in conversation with Sarah Cole (@Bookeditor) about my book 🔥 WORDS FROM HELL 🔥
Hope to see my Bostonian friends there!
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22 Apr 2024
A bit of me and @JessZafarris chatting French effluence:
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25 Apr 2024
The latest episode of "Words Unravelled" is out!
In this edition, @robwordsYT and I debunk and clarify common etymology myths, from apparent acronyms to the truth about "butterfly." Fair warning—this one contains some salty language.
youtube.com/watch?v=FcP3Orn_…
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30 Apr 2024
Today on my site, Useless Etymology: Learn about the surprisingly tragic origin of "nostalgia," which was a medical diagnosis long before it entered its poetic and marketing uses.
uselessetymology.com/2024/04…
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4 Mar 2024
An etymological and comix-centric history of the grawlix and other entertaining words you didn’t know you needed.
(Note: In the captions, R. Crumb’s last name is misspelled.)
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29 Feb 2024
WORDS FROM HELL has a second birthday today! We're celebrating the UK release of this naughty little number.
Leap into the legendary, lewd and alarming histories of the darkest words you know -- and some you don't.
29 Feb 2024
Ever wondered where swear words come from?😈
@JessZafarris is here to tell you!🔥
Get ready to unearth the darkest secrets of etymology and go where no dictionary has dared to before . . .
Buy here👉: waterstones.com/book/words-f…
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21 Feb 2024
"Literally" has been used to mean "figuratively" or for emphasis since the 17th century.
Literary examples:
• Adventures of Tom Sawyer (“literally rolling in wealth”)
• Nicholas Nickelby (Squeers "literally feasted his eyes" on Smike)
• Great Gatsby (“literally glowed”)
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21 Feb 2024
Furthermore, "literally" is itself figurative.
"Literal" implies interpreting meaning "to the letter"—from Latin litera/littera "letter, alphabetic sign"—which is an idiom meaning "according to the most basic definition" but doesn't pertain inherently to letters themselves.
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Useless Etymology retweeted
2 Feb 2024
Semi-onomatopoeic words for bodily (mal)functions:
Eructation (n): "a belching forth," from Latin ex "out" ructare "to belch"
Balbutient (adj): "stammering," from Latin balbus, meant to imitate meaningless syllables
Stertorous (adj): "snoring," from Latin stertere "snore"
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31 Jan 2024
Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language was 8 years in the writing. But frankly, he didn't always give his work 100%. Of TROLLYDAMES, for instance, he says: "Of this word I know not the meaning."
Here are some of my favourite entries from the great man of letters.
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31 Dec 2023
Francis Grose's 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue is a treasure trove.
Today I'm cackling at "Thingstable": a way to not-so-subtly insult an officer by implying that the first syllable of "constable" sounds like the "monosyllable"—which is a euphemism for the word "cunt."
ALT Image of text: THINGSTABLE. Mr. Thingstable; Mr. Constable: a ludicrous affectation of delicacy in avoiding the pronunciation of the first syllable in the title of that officer, which in sound has some similarity to an indecent monosyllable.
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30 Dec 2023
Did someone (er, @HuinGuillaume) say etymology?!
One of my favorites is “preposterous,” which is a Latin word joke because it literally means “before-behinderous” and is therefore autological (self-describing).
Latin Prae/pre- “before” post “after, behind” adjective ending
29 Dec 2023
In ancient Rome, salt was used to preserve food, making it a valuable resource. So valuable salt was often used as wages for soldiers - called Salarium. Salarium turned into the French word Salaire, and later, Salary in English. Go be brillant at diner tonight.
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10 Nov 2023
Ok, someone at @HBO or @netflix or @appleTV NEEDS to make a show about Senatrix Theodora called “Pornocracy”
Something like “Weeds meets The Borgias”
@JessZafarris I hope you don’t mind me posting this excerpt of your book but I would gladly co-write the pilot with you…
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Useless Etymology retweeted
10 Nov 2023
UPDATE
he is, in fact, the coolest pastor ever
ALT My husband and I watch you on TikTok all the time. You are so funny but educational. Here in Enfield we have been having problems with the Board of Education trying to censor/ban books, and Tuesday the most conservative candidates won. My church took up a collection and had free book give aways so that everyone would have access. We put up a little lending library to put them there too.
10 Nov 2023
friends, I have been asked by a pastor to speak to their congregation about my etymology book, Words from Hell
either this is the coolest pastor on the planet or they have deeply misinterpreted the spirit of the book
i will be taking bets and eagerly anticipating a response
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