andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 5hThis drives me crazy and I'm not even #German (I just really like soft pretzels) #Oktoberfest #October #Fall #TooLate 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 11/10/2026A totally normal " #Irish #pub ". Sure. I'm onto you. #Immigration #Vancouver #ItsATrap 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 10/10/2026That's the one that makes the most sense to me 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 10/10/2026"Noon" comes from the Latin for "ninth" and used to mean 3pm. No one really knows why it changed, but there are theories. #etymology #linguistics #latin #language #educational 110
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 09/10/2026"Punch" the drink is related to the Hindi for "five". Maybe. This proposed origin has problems in both timing and pronunciation but it is punchy. #etymology #linguistics #language #words #educational 180
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 08/10/2026"Doubt" and "dubious": Why uncertainty comes in twos. Both invoke a metaphor of "being of two minds". And those aren't the only words to do it. #etymology #linguistics #language #words #educational 050
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 07/10/2026"Cipher" and "zero" come from the same word. This is how one Arabic word came to mean both "zero" and "a secret code" #etymology #linguistics #language #words #educational 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 06/10/2026This "naughty" #etymology is all for naught It may seem obvious but I never noticed that "naughty" comes from a word meaning "zero". #linguistics #language #words #educational 010
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 05/10/2026We've all got #bills to pay and you gotta do what you gotta do. #economy #work #bmw #money 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Never forget the #definition of the #word "hirsute" with this one weird trick. #vocabulary #dictionary #joke 001
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Are Mi'kmaw hieroglyphs one of the earliest Indigenous writing systems or just a memory aid? Both the use and origin of these glyphs is uncertain but what is certain is they look nothing like European writing systems. #Linguistics #WritingSystems #IndigenousLanguage #Mikmaq #TruthAndReconciliation 011
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 02/10/2026How a font is helping revitalize hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ #Musqueam adopted NAPA in 1997 for accuracy. Only one font was able to display it but even it had limitations. So they made a new one. #Linguistics #WritingSystems #IndigenousLanguage #TruthAndReconciliation 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Why is #Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim) written with a 7? The language's writing system was designed for typewriters, requiring some character choices English speakers (like me) might find unfamiliar. #Linguistics #WritingSystems #IndigenousLanguage #TruthAndReconciliation 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Carrier syllabics: the writing system residential schools nearly erased It's an overhaul of Cree syllabics adapted to the #Dakelh language, tripling the number of basic shapes and adding systematic design features. #Linguistics #WritingSystems #IndigenousLanguage #TruthAndReconciliation 011
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026What are Canadian syllabics (and who really invented them?) It's the distinctive #WritingSystem used in both #Cree and #Inuktitut denoting consonant-vowel combos based on shape... and rotation. #TruthAndReconciliation #linguistics 032
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 28/09/2026For an allegedly #smart guy, I can be pretty #dumb This is genuinely probably the most vulnerable I've been on this app. #scatterbrain #intelligent #embarassing 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Whoever loses, we win #joke #standup #tesla #escooter #accident 010
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Nobody agrees how to say "turmeric" (and linguists can't agree on the etymology) It’s a story that involves different vowels, different stresses, a dubious Latin connection, and a potential mix-up with saffron. #etymology #linguistics #turmeric #language #educational 040
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Is it AL-mond or AH-mond? It's both. The story of "almond" involved adding an L to its spelling, losing it from its pronunciation, then adding it back in its pronunciation due to its spelling. #linguistics #etymology #pronunciation #almond #educational 010
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 24/09/2026No one agrees how to say "pecan" (and that's fine) Many think it's a regional split but survey data tells a different story, one involving 3 axes of difference and an Algonquian origin. #linguistics #etymology #pronunciation #pecan #educational 011
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Ape-ricot or app-ricot? It's both. And I’m not sure how we got here. "Apricot" circled the Mediterranean, turned P to B and back, and added an Arabic definite article. And yet none of that explains the different pronunciations. #etymology #linguistics #languagehistory #pronunciation #educational 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Is it "care-a-mel" or "car-muhl"? It's both, and so many more. It varies by region, with the OED listing six acceptable pronunciations (no matter how the French pronounce it) #linguistics #dialect #pronunciation #caramel #educational 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Why would they choose such a small area? Even "to Yaletown" would be an improvement #vancouver #map #hastings 020
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 20/09/2026I'm so excited to share this big life update. Thank you all for making this possible. #retirement #joke #pun #dadjokes #wordplay 020
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Homosexuality isn't a mental disorder but it still took psychiatrists 65 years to fully remove it Kinsey and Hooker had the data but it took a man in a rubber mask to make it real. #psychology #dsm #lgbt #queerhistory #educational 010
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 18/09/2026The autism spectrum isn't a scale, it's the different ways it shows up Autism Spectrum Disorder is 1 diagnosis replacing 5 different ones. Here's why. #Autism #ASD #DSM5 #Psychology #Neurodiversity 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 18/09/2026From “idiot” to “intellectual disability” isn’t just about avoiding offence. The changes in terminology also signal changes in medical approach. #linguistics #etymology #DisabilityHistory #psychology #learnontiktok 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 16/09/2026"Shell shock" to "PTSD": how language rewrote what trauma means. A name change tracks a century of medicine finally admitting our reactions to trauma aren't personal failings, the brain doing exactly what it evolved to do. #etymology #PTSD #linguistics #psychology #educational 010
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Calling women "hysterical" is based on a 4000 year old medical myth. From wandering wombs to Freud to the DSM, our understanding of "hysteria" may have changed but it still shows gender bias. #linguistics #etymology #hysteria #didyouknow #educational 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 13/09/202611% of #Vietnamese people are #Trans . It may be hard to believe but not as hard to believe as how the name is supposed to be pronounced. #joke #wordplay #pun 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Doting can seem deranged... because that's what the word used to mean. "Dote", like my previous video on "find", is another word for "foolish, silly" changing to be about love. It may also be related to Dutch words for "rage"... and "nap". #etymology #linguistics #words #didyouknow #educational 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 11/09/2026To be fond is to be foolish (at least etymologically) "Fond" originally meant "silly, foolish", and at times even "deranged", but came to mean "having great affection". I guess love can make us all a little crazy. #etymology #linguistics #words #didyouknow #educational 110
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 10/09/2026"Lewd" didn't always mean "dirty". It used to mean "uneducated". From "not part of the church" to "obscene", I guess "lewd" was always ungodly. #etymology #linguistics #words #didyouknow #educational 010
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 09/09/2026"Villain" wasn't an evil person until the aristocracy got involved. It's just another example of the rich looking down on the poor. It's class warfare encoded in language. #linguistics #etymology #history #didyouknow #educational 021
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Celebrating #LabourDay with a little #whitecollar #crime . What could be more fitting? #joke #moneylaundering 001
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 07/09/2026English has 2 "in-" prefixes and "incomparable" could use either #joke #wordplay #pronunciation #comparison #wordnerd 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 06/09/2026What is the socially acceptable way to answer "how are you?" And what was I supposed to say if "I'm fine" wasn't good enough? #socialskills #awkward #howareyou #aita 010
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Is Superman doing good or is he doing well? Why "I'm doing good" isn't wrong. Some people think adverbial "good" is a mistake but they're the ones mistaken because it's been in English for around 800 years. #linguistics #grammar #etymology #didyouknow #educational 121
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 03/09/2026The "further vs. farther" rule you learnt in school is [probably] a lie "Farther" for physical distance and "further" for figurative is less of a strict rule and more a loose suggestion. Prescriptivists aren't going to like this one. #linguistics #etymology #grammar #didyouknow #educational 020
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Don't know the difference between "sympathy" and "empathy"? I can sympathize. Or is it empathize? From Ancient Greek to German art appreciation, psychology, and a possible mistranslation. It's more complicated than you think. #linguistics #etymology #empathy #didyouknow #educational 020
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Envy and jealousy aren't synonyms but have been used that way for 700 years, including by Chaucer. Envy = wanting what you lack (including graphics cards) Jealousy = guarding what you have (often zealously) #linguistics #etymology #jealous #didyouknow #educational 030
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Assume vs. Presume: I assume you want to know the difference. Or should I presume? You might think they're interchangeable but it depends on context. That's the actual difference. #linguistics #etymology #English #didyouknow #educational 010
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 30/08/2026There are levels to #toxicmasculinity and mine is higher than yours. I think that makes me alpha. #mensmentalhealth #feelings #joke #badadvice 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 29/08/2026I thought it would be a good idea to buy a rubber duck to use in my latest video. I didn't like the singles so I ended up buying 10. I intend to expense this on my taxes. 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 29/08/2026I found out Tim Curry died because an old video of mine started gaining traction again. And it's made me wonder how I want to be remembered. #fame #image #legacy #socialmedia #rememberme 020
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Tell it to the duck: How self-explanation aids problem solving Programmers have been doing it for decades. It's backed by psychological research and can sometimes work better than asking AI. #psychology #problemsolving #productivity #didyouknow #educational 140
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Nerds love recursion, even in their acronyms Recursive acronyms are acronyms that refer to themselves. They're especially common in tech names but there's one you see every day. #linguistics #acronyms #recursion #didyouknow #educational 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 26/08/2026The first computer bug was an actual bug... but that's not why we call them "bugs" The term has been attributed to famous figures like Grace Hopper and Thomas Edison but the truth is a bit murkier. #etymology #linguistics #tech #didyouknow #educational 000
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Wi-Fi doesn't stand for "wireless fidelity" It's just a brand name and nothing more. The confusion arises from comparisons to "hi-fi" and a bad marketing slogan that even one of Wi-Fi's founders regrets. "Fidelity" doesn't even make sense! #linguistics #etymology #tech #wifi #educational 021
andrewcgrant.bsky.social @andrewcgrant.bsky.social · 24/08/2026What is AI? Depends who you ask. And when. AI is when computers do things we didn't expect they could do. And when expectations change, so does AI. It's the AI effect and it's how chess went from the pinnacle of AI to barely getting a mention. #linguistics #ai #tech #didyouknow #educational 010
