Wonderful article in the NYT about the use of the word _faggot_ in current theater, which prints the word & other slurs in full & discusses them sensibly; quoting @jwdent.bsky.social & several academics. I usually am complaining about this, but props this time! www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/t...

We never hear complaints about using 'unspeakably' to mean "horrendous."

“There are rock bands that sing in Frisian, but we don’t have a Kneecap unfortunately. We’re a bit jealous of Kneecap.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Today's random #AI email: "Dear Mr. Sheidlower: I recall hearing a segment on NPR about 20 years ago by an author reconciling with his father…An AI search seems to think that you're the guy….I've done my due diligence…but I can't find a link. If you're not the author, please let me know."

Shibboleth question: I had somewhere in my head that there was a prescriptivist ban against using _banister_ to mean 'handrail'; rather it should only be used to refer to a handrail w/ its supporting structure. But I can't quickly find anyone complaining about this. Anyone know what I'm thinking of?

I generally don't like "The simple old ways were better" articles, but this is lovely. (Looks like two copies of Marcin Wichary's _Shift Happens_ visible in the first picture.) www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Please refrain from giving a f#@&. ht @jessesword.com @mashedradish.bsky.social @schrisomalis.bsky.social fritinancy.substack.com/p/give-an-elf

Today in cybersecurity: After I told a representative of a multibillion-dollar company that I did not consent for any personal information to be sent via email, they replied that their emails "will be transmitted securely if we type ENCRPYT in the subject line", and OMG I CANNOT EVEN.

The next of the Big English Dictionary #WotY2025 is Cambridge's 'parasocial' www.bbc.com/news/article...

Yessssss

Confused and terrified to find my name in here; relieved to discover that it's some footnote about linguistic corpus analysis.

Wrote about the past and present of Word of the Year for @lithub.com.web.brid.gy. Some 2025 candidates in the piece: "Kavanaugh stop," "Coldplayed," "broligarchy," "amphipha," "chopped unc," and the hard-charging "Trumpstein files" #wordoftheyear

On Facebook, @straczynski.bsky.social posted pictures of Harlan Ellison's house. Keen-eyed observers will note that among the reference books around his desk can be found the Historical #Dictionary of American Slang (including two copies of volume 2). www.facebook.com/groups/45866...

On Facebook, @straczynski.bsky.social posted pictures of Harlan Ellison's house. Keen-eyed observers will note that among the reference books around his desk can be found the Historical #Dictionary of American Slang (including two copies of volume 2). www.facebook.com/groups/45866...

Happy Corduroy Appreciate Day to all who celebrate! 11/11, the date most resembling corduroy!

Today is the publication day for WITHOUT CONSENT, a book I am so proud to share with the world, and that the New York Times Book Review says "is years — decades — overdue." Read more, and order in your preferred format from your favorite retailer here: www.sarahweinman.com/book/without...

Happy There Is A Circulatory System Walking Through The Kitchen Day to all who celebrate.

OK, Pluribus is awesome and I cannot wait to watch the rest of it.

My sense of what words might count as "common" vocabulary is, I think, rather different from most people's. Still: is the word _rudder_ really something that anyone needs to have explained? www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...

This seems like a SLIGHT overreaction to some British children saying the word "candy"

The second of the English dictionary #WotY2025 is out. Collins has gone for 'vibe coding' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

With the assault-by-sub-sandwich trial in progress here's a re-up of my post, "Is a sandwich a weapon? And if so, does it enjoy constitutional protection?" blogs.illinois.edu/view/25

Remembered to buy tickets to GlobalFEST; last year I left it too late and missed out. www.lincolncenter.org/series/linco... cc @activecultures.bsky.social

In case you haven't done this yet, you should donate and get the great first issue! It has terrific pieces by @korystamper.bsky.social, @emckean.bsky.social, and even people I don't know!

Plunging headlong into the 21st Century, we are now on Bluesky. You can still follow us on the platform formerly known as Twitter @IrishTextsSoc and our website irishtextssociety.org

This weekend's sourdough effort. Looked and tasted pretty great, but I probably overproofed it a bit.

Got that taken care of. 5m.

I was looking at a charity event based in German-speaking countries, for which they're using the hashtag #kinderlachenschenker, and they give the English version as #childrenslaughtergiver, and—oh dear. I don't think the alternate reading is something they're looking for.

If you need a break from <waves arms at everything>, you can distract yourself w/two new fandom entries in the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: "newfan" & its frequent plural "newfen"! Both fr. 1945–, the former now rare. sfdictionary.com/view/3036/ne... sfdictionary.com/view/3037/ne...

It's all hands on deck. I am shamelessly asking, one more time, for reposts and signal boost as this bird glides toward a landing in a few hours. It's gonna be a beautiful book, and there aren't going to be very many available afterwards! www.kickstarter.com/projects/tom...

The OED on _aunt_ n. sense 1.b.

five days and a few hours to go and at this point I'm just gonna be shameless: if you can help signal-boost this thing, I'd be grateful. I've done very well through my own channels, but haven't had much luck breaking out beyond them. www.kickstarter.com/projects/tom...

A few thoughts on Philip Pullman's new book THE ROSE FIELD (minor spoilers) www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

This is an absolutely delightful essay.

Smart, thoughtful @nytimes.com review of UNABRIDGED by Dan Piepenbring, which also mentions my efforts to get the farting sense of "Dutch oven" into the dictionary

Finally saw a film regarded as one of the best of the 21st C, & it was AWFUL. Not as in "I hate this director" (there are some; not this), but genuinely terrible. And crix are all "Mysterious!" instead of "Nonsensical!" I'm not a film guy, but I really don't get it: doesn't feel like a taste thing.

Everything is bad, but at least we have the Dapper Louvre Heist Guy photo.

Happy publication day, Moby-Dick! Today in 1851! (Actually, it's the British edition, titled _The Whale_, that was published today; the US ed came out on November 14. But you knew that.)

Impressive array of lots in this auction, but surely the best is this item, Whitman drafts of three poems from Leaves of Grass: www.swanngalleries.com/auction-lot/...

Hey check it out I am as cool as the other cool people on Bluesky! Seriously, this is really exciting to me.

Email that I probably shouldn't open

Here's a very niche question: does anyone here study ancient languages and has experience in the pronunciation of Akkadian words? And before a million randos tell me that we don't know what dead languages sound like, there are scholars who spend their whole lives on this stuff.

Best book title encountered recently: _Scatalog: Quick ID Guide to Southern African Animal Droppings_. And not only is this real, but it's published by a major publisher (@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social)! www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/book/scatalo...

"A thoroughly delightful read, from that arresting introduction to the copious and often hilarious endnotes." My review of "Unabridged," by @stefanfatsis.bsky.social: fritinancy.substack.com/p/book-revie...

New entry for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: "Encyclopedia Galactica", prominently (though not originally) in Asimov's Foundation series, but also in HHGTTG, Carl Sagan, _Contact_, & more. We love reference works of all kinds! sfdictionary.com/view/1447/en...

Stefan's reading yesterday was an absolute delight! Community Bookstore was packed, they sold out all their copies, Stefan and Vinson were an awesome team, audience asked great questions. Get the book if you don't have it already!

@lancerichardson.bsky.social being interviewed by @shamblanderson.bsky.social at the NYPL, for the publication of True Nature, his biography of Peter Matthiessen

Happy pub day to me! Also pictured, bottom to top: Webster's Third (1961); battered Webster's New World (1974; my first dictionary); Webster's Collegiate, Fifth Edition (inscribed by my immigrant father in 1949)

Eight years ago, I drove to Sag Harbor and sat down for tea with Maria Matthiessen, telling her I wanted to write a book about her late husband, Peter. She warned me against it: a Sisyphean task! I pushed on anyway. (Maria was right.) And today, miraculously, is publication day for TRUE NATURE.