John Kelly
@mashedradish.bsky.social
Your "rigorous af" word guy. Formerly, head of content at Dictionary.com, contributor to Merriam-Webster and Oxford Dictionaries, emoji lexicographer for Emojipedia, and educator. I (still) blog about etymology at masheradish.com.
It's arrived—and it's gorgeous.
I opened @merriam-webster.com's new Twelfth Collegiate at random, and the first word I came across was the second, verbal sense of "load."
Huzzah!
This spread also showcases some delights, like the illustrations and word lists.
I opened @merriam-webster.com's new Twelfth Collegiate at random, and the first word I came across was the second, verbal sense of "load."
Huzzah!
This spread also showcases some delights, like the illustrations and word lists.
November 25, 2025 at 9:05 PM
It's arrived—and it's gorgeous.
I opened @merriam-webster.com's new Twelfth Collegiate at random, and the first word I came across was the second, verbal sense of "load."
Huzzah!
This spread also showcases some delights, like the illustrations and word lists.
I opened @merriam-webster.com's new Twelfth Collegiate at random, and the first word I came across was the second, verbal sense of "load."
Huzzah!
This spread also showcases some delights, like the illustrations and word lists.
A veritable -cuteriecuterie
some quick googling reveals
bar-cuterie (accessories for cocktail making)
cat-cuterie (treats)
bark-cuterie (dog treats)
both boo-cuterie and scare-cuterie (halloween snacks)
choc-cuterie
cart-cuterie (as in, golf carts)
shark-cuterie (with a shark eating some cheeses)
cher-cuterie (honoring her)
bar-cuterie (accessories for cocktail making)
cat-cuterie (treats)
bark-cuterie (dog treats)
both boo-cuterie and scare-cuterie (halloween snacks)
choc-cuterie
cart-cuterie (as in, golf carts)
shark-cuterie (with a shark eating some cheeses)
cher-cuterie (honoring her)
November 25, 2025 at 12:25 PM
A veritable -cuteriecuterie
Reposted by John Kelly
Word of the week: Turkuterie. fritinancy.substack.com/p/word-of-th...
Word of the week: Turkuterie
Playing with Thanksgiving traditions and words.
fritinancy.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Word of the week: Turkuterie. fritinancy.substack.com/p/word-of-th...
Reposted by John Kelly
This is the only sensible way forward. If people don't want to do the work, they should do something else. Thank you for holding the line against the slop.
November 23, 2025 at 6:24 PM
This is the only sensible way forward. If people don't want to do the work, they should do something else. Thank you for holding the line against the slop.
Reposted by John Kelly
This is so relevant to my day-to-day thinking at @hubcitypress.bsky.social. instead of being demoralized and saying, let AI do all the publishing work and pump out more slop to boost sales, our new focus is carefully curated + clearly human created. Hence the focus on short stories, novellas, etc.
November 23, 2025 at 6:20 PM
This is so relevant to my day-to-day thinking at @hubcitypress.bsky.social. instead of being demoralized and saying, let AI do all the publishing work and pump out more slop to boost sales, our new focus is carefully curated + clearly human created. Hence the focus on short stories, novellas, etc.
Reposted by John Kelly
I said this when the fake books supplement came out this summer but, if the internet is mostly bots now then that's who's reading and engaging with these fake AI articles. I think that's what's making me feel so untethered--how little humans matter to any of these systems now. Bots talking to bots.
November 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
I said this when the fake books supplement came out this summer but, if the internet is mostly bots now then that's who's reading and engaging with these fake AI articles. I think that's what's making me feel so untethered--how little humans matter to any of these systems now. Bots talking to bots.
Reposted by John Kelly
i just reviewed 50+ applications for an arts award and most of them were written by chatgpt. And then the other reviewers said they put them into Gemini to rank them. At a certain point, if everyone is giving their thinking entirely over to AI, why are we even bothering with any of this anymore?
November 23, 2025 at 5:32 PM
i just reviewed 50+ applications for an arts award and most of them were written by chatgpt. And then the other reviewers said they put them into Gemini to rank them. At a certain point, if everyone is giving their thinking entirely over to AI, why are we even bothering with any of this anymore?
Reposted by John Kelly
From this week's link newsletter: on the etymology of "fascism" and a case for naming it word of the year, from @mashedradish.bsky.social:
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
November 22, 2025 at 8:08 PM
From this week's link newsletter: on the etymology of "fascism" and a case for naming it word of the year, from @mashedradish.bsky.social:
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
Recently watched Fritz Lang’s “The Blue Gardenia.” Trying to think of other examples of movies whose plots specifically hinge on a song?
November 22, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Recently watched Fritz Lang’s “The Blue Gardenia.” Trying to think of other examples of movies whose plots specifically hinge on a song?
From a messaging standpoint, I think Mamdani’s repetition of ‘affordability’ is memorable and masterful.
Newsy #etymology: AFFORD 1/
Newsy #etymology: AFFORD 1/
November 21, 2025 at 9:39 PM
From a messaging standpoint, I think Mamdani’s repetition of ‘affordability’ is memorable and masterful.
Newsy #etymology: AFFORD 1/
Newsy #etymology: AFFORD 1/
And it all seems like pathetic displays of male fantasy.
I feel like we’ve seen a lot of creep with TRILLION, in figure and word, in 2025. This is bad. AI valuations in the trillions. Trump claiming trillions coming into the US. Musk being promised a trillion in stock. A billion is already incomprehensibly large. Multiply it by 1,000?
November 21, 2025 at 5:48 PM
And it all seems like pathetic displays of male fantasy.
I feel like we’ve seen a lot of creep with TRILLION, in figure and word, in 2025. This is bad. AI valuations in the trillions. Trump claiming trillions coming into the US. Musk being promised a trillion in stock. A billion is already incomprehensibly large. Multiply it by 1,000?
November 21, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I feel like we’ve seen a lot of creep with TRILLION, in figure and word, in 2025. This is bad. AI valuations in the trillions. Trump claiming trillions coming into the US. Musk being promised a trillion in stock. A billion is already incomprehensibly large. Multiply it by 1,000?
Love the idea of dictionary exercises. Even dictionary stats.
"She's got a 1.21 'Time to Lookup' in the Twelfth. Bananas!"
"Have you seen his IAS rating? His Inflections After Search are generational."
"She's got a 1.21 'Time to Lookup' in the Twelfth. Bananas!"
"Have you seen his IAS rating? His Inflections After Search are generational."
Delivery for my order of @merriam-webster.com's Twelfth Edition of its Collegiate Dictionary keeps getting delayed.
Guess this means I have extra time to keep working up the calluses on my thumbs to be ready for its sweet, sweet notches. And for strength training for its five-pound heft!
Guess this means I have extra time to keep working up the calluses on my thumbs to be ready for its sweet, sweet notches. And for strength training for its five-pound heft!
November 21, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Love the idea of dictionary exercises. Even dictionary stats.
"She's got a 1.21 'Time to Lookup' in the Twelfth. Bananas!"
"Have you seen his IAS rating? His Inflections After Search are generational."
"She's got a 1.21 'Time to Lookup' in the Twelfth. Bananas!"
"Have you seen his IAS rating? His Inflections After Search are generational."
Delivery for my order of @merriam-webster.com's Twelfth Edition of its Collegiate Dictionary keeps getting delayed.
Guess this means I have extra time to keep working up the calluses on my thumbs to be ready for its sweet, sweet notches. And for strength training for its five-pound heft!
Guess this means I have extra time to keep working up the calluses on my thumbs to be ready for its sweet, sweet notches. And for strength training for its five-pound heft!
November 21, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Delivery for my order of @merriam-webster.com's Twelfth Edition of its Collegiate Dictionary keeps getting delayed.
Guess this means I have extra time to keep working up the calluses on my thumbs to be ready for its sweet, sweet notches. And for strength training for its five-pound heft!
Guess this means I have extra time to keep working up the calluses on my thumbs to be ready for its sweet, sweet notches. And for strength training for its five-pound heft!
You know, I really want to thank the Musée D'Orsay for helping me with my French.
Félix Vallotton's 'Le Poker' and 'Le Toast' were not only beautiful, but also instructive.
I jest; my French is incurable. (Sometimes I question my English, too,)
Félix Vallotton's 'Le Poker' and 'Le Toast' were not only beautiful, but also instructive.
I jest; my French is incurable. (Sometimes I question my English, too,)
November 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
You know, I really want to thank the Musée D'Orsay for helping me with my French.
Félix Vallotton's 'Le Poker' and 'Le Toast' were not only beautiful, but also instructive.
I jest; my French is incurable. (Sometimes I question my English, too,)
Félix Vallotton's 'Le Poker' and 'Le Toast' were not only beautiful, but also instructive.
I jest; my French is incurable. (Sometimes I question my English, too,)
"Is it even possible, linguistically, to 'give an e.l.f.'?"
Great write-up of the latest sweary-adjacent campaign from an edgy (or at least edgy-seeking) beauty brand.
Great write-up of the latest sweary-adjacent campaign from an edgy (or at least edgy-seeking) beauty brand.
Please refrain from giving a f#@&.
ht @jessesword.com @mashedradish.bsky.social @schrisomalis.bsky.social
fritinancy.substack.com/p/give-an-elf
ht @jessesword.com @mashedradish.bsky.social @schrisomalis.bsky.social
fritinancy.substack.com/p/give-an-elf
"Give an e.l.f."
No short-statured Santa's helpers were donated in the making of a beauty brand's ad campaign, but some old lines were coyly crossed.
fritinancy.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:24 PM
"Is it even possible, linguistically, to 'give an e.l.f.'?"
Great write-up of the latest sweary-adjacent campaign from an edgy (or at least edgy-seeking) beauty brand.
Great write-up of the latest sweary-adjacent campaign from an edgy (or at least edgy-seeking) beauty brand.
Reposted by John Kelly
👾 The video game edition of @americandialect.org's Among the New Words is out! Very cool it is that I (sometimes known as TankHughes) have written about TANK (v) for ADS 🪖 The focus was on terms that have crossed into mainstream usage (e.g., BUFF, LEVEL UP, THE META, NERF, NPC, OP, and SPEEDRUN) 🎮
November 18, 2025 at 10:45 PM
👾 The video game edition of @americandialect.org's Among the New Words is out! Very cool it is that I (sometimes known as TankHughes) have written about TANK (v) for ADS 🪖 The focus was on terms that have crossed into mainstream usage (e.g., BUFF, LEVEL UP, THE META, NERF, NPC, OP, and SPEEDRUN) 🎮
The celebrity stuff is just part of the story. Cambridge (which is geared towards learners, remember) makes a thoughtful and timely case with harmful parasocial relationships with AI chatbots—powerful, tragic, defining moment of 2025.
dictionary.cambridge.org/editorial/wo...
dictionary.cambridge.org/editorial/wo...
November 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM
The celebrity stuff is just part of the story. Cambridge (which is geared towards learners, remember) makes a thoughtful and timely case with harmful parasocial relationships with AI chatbots—powerful, tragic, defining moment of 2025.
dictionary.cambridge.org/editorial/wo...
dictionary.cambridge.org/editorial/wo...
Yes, but @etymonline.bsky.social is apparently affected by the Cloudfare outage, too. 😰
November 18, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Yes, but @etymonline.bsky.social is apparently affected by the Cloudfare outage, too. 😰
No visit to Paris is complete, in my book, without a squeeze into the Abbey Bookshop. In mere moments, I encountered some @scalzi.com, behind which I was greeted by @bcdreyer.social and, towering above me, @misterslang.bsky.social. #goodcompany
November 17, 2025 at 7:22 PM
No visit to Paris is complete, in my book, without a squeeze into the Abbey Bookshop. In mere moments, I encountered some @scalzi.com, behind which I was greeted by @bcdreyer.social and, towering above me, @misterslang.bsky.social. #goodcompany
Always fond of the Macquarie WOTY effort for its mix of Australian and global lexical phenomenon.
While not sexy, ‘blind box’ is a smart inclusion. (There almost seemed to be more security at the Pop Mart store at the exit of the Louvre than at the entrance when I visited last Monday!)
While not sexy, ‘blind box’ is a smart inclusion. (There almost seemed to be more security at the Pop Mart store at the exit of the Louvre than at the entrance when I visited last Monday!)
November 17, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Always fond of the Macquarie WOTY effort for its mix of Australian and global lexical phenomenon.
While not sexy, ‘blind box’ is a smart inclusion. (There almost seemed to be more security at the Pop Mart store at the exit of the Louvre than at the entrance when I visited last Monday!)
While not sexy, ‘blind box’ is a smart inclusion. (There almost seemed to be more security at the Pop Mart store at the exit of the Louvre than at the entrance when I visited last Monday!)
Reposted by John Kelly
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
Choosing the Word of the Year is No Easy Feat
Thirty-five years ago, the late English professor Allan Metcalf had an idea. “I was thinking that Time magazine has its Person of the Year,” he told me, “and why can’t we do for words what Time did…
lithub.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:59 PM
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
Reposted by John Kelly
John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social makes 'fascism' his Etymology of the Year
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
The 2025 Etymology of the Year
“Fascism” is a challenging word for a challenging moment, and its origins may bear lessons for us.
mashedradish.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:54 PM
John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social makes 'fascism' his Etymology of the Year
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
Democracy had a good week. That is good reason to hope. That is good reason to oppose—with renewed purpose—the forces behind my choice for the 2025 Word of the Year:
FASCISM.
Dive into my lexical—and etymological—treatment of this challenging word on my blog:
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
FASCISM.
Dive into my lexical—and etymological—treatment of this challenging word on my blog:
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
The 2025 Etymology of the Year
“Fascism” is a challenging word for a challenging moment, and its origins may bear lessons for us.
mashedradish.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Democracy had a good week. That is good reason to hope. That is good reason to oppose—with renewed purpose—the forces behind my choice for the 2025 Word of the Year:
FASCISM.
Dive into my lexical—and etymological—treatment of this challenging word on my blog:
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
FASCISM.
Dive into my lexical—and etymological—treatment of this challenging word on my blog:
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...