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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 8h

hag

#etymology #wordorigins #language

15 October 2025 The word  hag , like the woman it represents, is old, tracing back to Old English, but  hag  does not appear to be a very common word until the sixteenth century, when ...

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 2d

I have been thinking about this a LOT lately, and have many things to say about it. Maybe I'll write a complete essay. But for now, this video is well, well worth your time.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Qv...

How I View the US After 13 Years Living in Europe

YouTube video by Evan Edinger

www.youtube.com

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 2d

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAT-...

The genius logic of the NATO phonetic alphabet

YouTube video by RobWords

www.youtube.com

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 2d

There's always streaming

Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 2d

I bit off more than I could chew, but into the sixth year I'm still choking it down

1,000th Revision (sort of) — Wordorigins.org

13 October 2025 Numbers with lots of zeroes after them seem to have significance, even if they don’t really. Back in March 2020, in the midst of the Covid lockdown, I started a wholesale revision of ...

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 2d

Mecca

#etymology #wordorigins #language

Mecca — Wordorigins.org

13 October 2025 Mecca  is a place name, a toponym, that has acquired a figurative meaning over the years. Literally, it is a city in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad, to whi...

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 4d

"Bubbles flew in the air as the groom, his best man (his son, dressed as Eric Cartman from South Park), the bride and maid of honor (the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters) walked down the red carpet.

Lee West @whodat35.bsky.social · 4d

Unicorn bride marries Kenny from South Park at Portland ICE protest. www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

Unicorn bride marries Kenny from South Park at Portland ICE protest

The couple in costumes said they wanted to bring joy to the protests and show that demonstrators are "fun loving people."

www.oregonlive.com

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 4d

The American Empire contains multitudes.

Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 4d

For US bases overseas, it varies by country. The kaserne in Germany where I was stationed was entirely run by the US. There were no Germans there. I did some work at RAF Alconbury in Cambridgeshire, and that was US/NATO troops with an RAF officer nominally in command. It's all up to the SOFA.

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 4d

Typically, such "deals" are governed by Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs, one of the more ridiculous military acronyms), that govern all the legal questions about who is in charge of the base, whether and how the soldiers can be prosecuted if they commit a crime, etc.

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 4d

I don't know the details--I'm not sure anyone does--but I presume it's not "their" base, but rather some facilities (presumably hangars and barracks) at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho.

On the other hand, the US has lots of bases in other countries, including Qatar.

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 5d

Agreements like this have been a norm for decades, but usually, while not secret, they aren't publicly touted. The US hosts training of other countries' air forces all the time.

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 5d

The Nobel committee threw some subtle shade on Trump in their announcement of this year's award

AnneA @annenc.bsky.social · 5d

#NobelPeacePrize

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Gretchen McCulloch @gretchenmcc.bsky.social · 6d

Higgledy piggledy
Timothée Chalamet
Has a name meriting
Endless design

Much like his forerunner
Benedict Cumberbatch:
Hexasyllabically,
Easy to rhyme

tweet from childish branzino @absflora:
timothée chalamet is the new benedict cumberbatch in the sense that you can say ANYTHING and we know who you mean. tiffany chevrolet. timpanogos charlemagne. symphony cabernet. jiminy castaway.

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 5d

Judeo-Christian

#etymology #wordorigins #language

Judeo-Christian — Wordorigins.org

10 October 2025 Judeo-Christian  has two main meanings. The first refers to Jews who have converted to Christianity. The second, and today more common, meaning refers to the common ethical and ...

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 6d

Medbed: from science fiction to conspiracy theory to the presidential announcements

#etymology #wordorigins #language #uspolitics

medbed

[I’ve decided to attempt posting a “Words in the News” premium feature weekly. We’ll see how long I can keep that pace up—and much will depend on how many pay to subscribe to the premium features. I’m...

wordorigins-org.ghost.io

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 7d

Screenshot of a social media post that says "Friends, I have discovered my new patron saint" in reply to a post with a picture of an 18th century gentleman and the words "'I see that you have made 3 spelling mistakes.' Last words of Marquis de Favras after reading his death sentence before being hanged (1790)"

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 7d

deplatform

#wordorigins #etymology #language

deplatform — Wordorigins.org

8 October 2025 The verb  deplatform  is a relatively new one. Merriam-Webster defines it thusly:

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 8d

"Let's do the fucking news"

Screenshot of actor William Hurt behind a network news desk from the film "Broadcast News"

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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 9d

It wasn’t planned; it’s just how the revision schedule fell out; but this one is appropriate for the start of SCOTUS’s term

#etymology #wordorigins #language #uspolitics #SCOTUS