Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 2hI've been privileged to read parts of this, and it's outstanding and revelatory, and I cannot wait to have the rest of it in my hands. 082
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 4hToday's antedating for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: the rare "gravitically" ('by means of gravity'; 'with regard to gravity'), from 1958 to 1949. sfdictionary.com/view/1106/gr...sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: graviticallyHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 131
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 23hI do have to pay rent, but on the other hand.... www.swanngalleries.com/auction-lot/... 1100
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerJohnson's Dictionary Online @sjdictionary.bsky.social · 28/09/2026JohnsonsDictionaryOnline.com is back online! The lookups work. It will be a little while longer before the "about" and "how to" pages are back. Thanks for your patience!johnsonsdictionaryonline.comJohnson's Dictionary OnlineSupported by the University of Central Florida, NEH and Center for Humanities and Digital Research (CHDR) . 1219
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 27/09/2026NYC weather has some serious West-coast-of-Scotland vibes today 1160
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/09/2026I finally got one of those scam book-club invites. I feel like a real writer now! 2180
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 25/09/2026Today I listened to Fairport Convention's "Fotheringay" for the millionth time, & it occurred to me to wonder about _captive_ 'serving to confine', in "her captive walls". OED, in an early & unrevised entry, doesn't have this sense, so I found exx. from the 17th C. onwards and sent it in. 2110
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 22/09/2026Today's antedating for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: "farside", for the non-Earth-facing side of the Moon (often as a placename), from 1958 to 1949. Plus the usual cleanup. sfdictionary.com/view/1591/fa...sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: farsideHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 063
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerJohnson's Dictionary Online @sjdictionary.bsky.social · 20/09/2026JohnsonsDictionaryOnline.com is currently offline following a malware attack. UCF's IT security team is working on remediation, but we don't yet know when the site will be restored. Updates will be posted here as we have them. Apologies for the inconvenience!johnsonsdictionaryonline.comhttps://JohnsonsDictionaryOnline.com 285
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerJonathon Owen @arrantpedantry.com · 18/09/2026I guess it's time to dust this post off again. www.arrantpedantry.com/2021/11/08/i...arrantpedantry.comI Am Begging You to Learn How Dictionaries WorkIt’s a phenomenon as predictable as the tides: a dictionary adds new words or definitions, and then people grouse about those changes, either because they don’t like the new words and t… 1154
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 18/09/2026The NYT tells you why people shouldn't use a #dictionary to find out what words mean. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/m...nytimes.comSorry, Webster. Most People Don’t Want Internet Slang in the Dictionary.Static definitions of “rizz,” “goblin mode” and “beige flag” don’t easily explain the words’ meanings. But we could use reference formats that do. 5227
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 17/09/2026A Bluesky "autoplay" question, for anyone who can answer (perhaps @joshuajfriedman.com): Every time I log in anew, I have to go to Settings -> Content & Media -> Autoplay videos and GIFs, and disable it. Is there any way to make this sticky? It make no sense to have to do this every time. 131
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 17/09/2026Today's nice antedating for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: "earthfall", for landing on Earth (after nautical "landfall"), from 1952 to 1943. A very recent example would be great: hard to search because of the videogame and the O.S. Card novel. sfdictionary.com/view/2297/ea...sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: earthfallHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 073
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerMerriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 15/09/2026New words just dropped. www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/new...merriam-webster.com1,400 New Words and Definitions Added to Merriam-Webster.comIncluding vibe coding, yacht rock, parasocial, and Mandela Effect 21423112
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 11/09/2026Have the rare good fortune to have access to a secondary space, which will have storage for books. So I'm initially bringing over everything so important that I have multiple copies. (Plus the original Century Dictionary, the 1911 (11th) edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, &c.) 3141
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 11/09/2026A few related antedatings for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: "cyborged", from 1976 to 1968; "cyborging", a big 1989 to 1968; "cyborgized", 1989 to 1987. Also cleaned up nearby entries. sfdictionary.com/view/599/cyb... sfdictionary.com/view/1499/cy... sfdictionary.com/view/1479/cy...sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: cyborgedHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 0103
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 11/09/2026Headline I will automatically click on: "Carolyn Forché Once Got the O.E.D. for Valentine’s Day". ("I haven’t finished it yet.") #dictionary @carolynforche.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/b...nytimes.com 070
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 08/09/2026The thing that I realized in passing from this excellent video: Robert Bringhurst's classic _Elements of Typographic Style_ is out of print? What? She waved it and I thought, "Oh, I need to buy this for a friend [which I've done before]," and then discovered…this won't be easy. How can this be?! 2225
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerJesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 07/09/2026It's hard enough for me to deaccession books from my own collection. But now I'm "helping" a friend move, and the books on her giveaway pile, I'm either insisting that she keep, or taking for myself. This is not very effective. 2572
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 07/09/2026It's hard enough for me to deaccession books from my own collection. But now I'm "helping" a friend move, and the books on her giveaway pile, I'm either insisting that she keep, or taking for myself. This is not very effective. 2572
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlowerℳatt @matttomic.bsky.social · 04/09/2026I've seen everyone sharing that US Dialect Quiz so I decided to make my own, much crappier, CANADIAN DIALECT QUIZ to guess where in Canada you're from 1462053749
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 04/09/2026The incredible opening drum bit in Spin Doctors' 1993 "Two Princes" is always described as a "drum fill"; maybe "intro fill". All definitions/discussions of musical "fill" specify clearly that it's something between two sections. Yet this one is never "riff" or anything else. Just an observation. 260
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 04/09/2026Great news for the history of the #OED, from @stephenturton.bsky.social: www.english.ox.ac.uk/article/dr-s...english.ox.ac.ukDr Stephen Turton awarded ERC Starting Grant for project on James Murray and the OED 1102
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerMark Lerner @ragandboneshop.bsky.social · 04/09/2026It's out TODAY! 🎵🖤 At rosine.bandcamp.com Also at subvert.fm/rosine and of course all of the streaming sites. If you enjoy it, I would so appreciate you telling others about it. Cover painting by Nancy Howell. 183
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 04/09/2026Student orientation today; successfully managed a 1m talk to convince them to take my class. Then met a former student, now faculty, who said my class was the best of her career, she still thinks about it when she writes/teaches. I thanked her, & excused myself to avoid sobbing to death in public. 1290
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 03/09/2026Fascinating, detailed thread from @teorth.bsky.social (who has only a marginal presence here) about why AI-assisted solutions to even important problems in mathematics, would in fact usually be a net negative for the progress of math. mastodon.social/@tao@mathsto...mastodon.socialMastodon 031
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 03/09/2026In case you missed it last week, @kolatubosun.bsky.social on neologisms in Yorùbá. Includes #OED content! #dictionary flaminghydra.com/fat-coke-bot...flaminghydra.comFat Coke Bottles and Other InventionsSlightly over a decade ago, I heard the Yorùbá word “jápa” for the first time. It’s always a bit jarring to hear a new word spoken in one’s native language. Sometimes it’s an archaic word, or one... 052
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 02/09/2026Help me, Internet! I need to find these glasses. These are basic glasses, not crystal, not fancy in any way. 16 oz highballs. The lower part has four indentations in a cruciform pattern. Pix are of two different versions, and I've seen others, but don't know how to search for them! Help! 362
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 02/09/2026Today's trivial-even-by-lax-standards antedating for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: "Bradburian", in reference to the writing of Ray Bradbury. Originally Lin Carter in July 1951, now Lin Carter in March 1951. Huzzah! sfdictionary.com/view/2519/br...sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: BradburianHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 161
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerStrong Language @stronglang.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Helen Mirren: "I was thrown out of quite a few pubs in the old days when women weren’t supposed to be swearing in pubs." www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/mob... Archived: archive.is/GavBj 0173
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerDeb Amlen @debamlen.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Sanity check needed: Say aye if you knew the term “Debbie Downer” *before* 2004, when Rachel Dratch made her a character on SNL. I knew it as a child back in the late 15th C., but search indicates that Dratch’s character was the first instance. I feel like I’m being gaslit by the entire internet. 6171
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 01/09/2026A very American friend is visiting London for the first time, so I gave her suggestions for touristy stuff to check out. Her report from Fortnum & Mason: "That was like stepping into Disneyland, but for tea." 3233
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 31/08/2026Much work on "meat puppet" for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: split the Gibsonian 'body controlled by another' from 'the human body' sense; precursors from L. Frank Baum; more quotes; &c. Feedback welcome! sfdictionary.com/view/3166/me... sfdictionary.com/view/2269/me...sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: meat puppetHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 160
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 30/08/2026This morning I read @jonronson.bsky.social's insane piece about Greg Chism. Then saw an online review of Kozintsev's 1964 _Hamlet_ that began, "Great movie. Haven't actually read the play so I only know the story via adaptations like The Northman." I'm starting to think The Internet was a bad idea. 260
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 29/08/2026I'm at an old-school bar in Brooklyn, and they just segued from the Go-Go's to Richard and Linda Thompson. Haven't been this happy in a while. Elvis Costello now. 0270
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerStan Carey @stancarey.bsky.social · 29/08/2026We've added an AI policy to the @stronglang.bsky.social blog: stronglang.wordpress.com/ai-policy/ 4205
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerTom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Anyway, great news that the pronoun wars have spread from third person to second 2122
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 28/08/2026New vehicle entry for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: "star cruiser", a (large) spaceship. Edmond Hamilton in the '20s on up, including Star Wars, HHGttG, Poul Anderson, David Brin, &c. sfdictionary.com/view/2250/st...sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: star cruiserHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 221
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/08/2026Some John W. Campbell news for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: A new entry for the rare "Campbellish" (1940–) and an antedating of the usual form "Campbellian", from 1949 to 1943. sfdictionary.com/view/2709/ca... sfdictionary.com/view/1205/ca... (Yes, he was a racist right-winger.)sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: CampbellishHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 040
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/08/2026I've seen a lot of astounding Dolly-related posts in the last day, but I hadn't seen this one. From Eminem's Facebook page: 0413
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 25/08/2026The servers at donate.imaginationlibrary.com can't keep up with the strain; I can't donate :-( Will keep trying.donate.imaginationlibrary.comHomeMake a donation and support Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in communities around the world and help put more books into the hands of more children. 2243
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerOctism Queen @snowqueenofhoth.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Back to school sale: BLAME! Edition! These proxies were hand drawn with dip pens & ink after the oh-so-talented Tsutomu Nihei; applied to real MTG tokens via sticker. Selling for $35 each. If you don’t like the price, make me an offer! Venmo preferred, free shipping via snail mail, DM to claim. 49632
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 24/08/2026Today's extremely minor update for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: a several-month antedating of "alternative history". Also, cleaned up the entry a bit. sfdictionary.com/view/262/alt...sfdictionary.comHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction: alternative historyHistorical Dictionary of Science Fiction 052
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 22/08/2026This is stunning. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/19/r...nytimes.comIn Berkeley, Calif., a Pioneering Modernist Home for $1.425 MillionThe Kip House, designed by Donald Olsen for an eminent physicist, is on the market for only the second time in its history. 150
Reposted by Jesse SheidlowerKathleen Lubey @kathylubey.bsky.social · 18/08/2026This summer, a project 5 years in the making has finally seen the light of day. Thanks to my co-editors @sarahebull.bsky.social, Colette Colligan, and Lisa Sigel (general editor extraordinaire). We’re really proud of making the porn archive more accessible. Ask your uni libraries to order it! 68131
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 17/08/2026A friend sent me a long discussion about how to avoid breaking #wine glasses when you toast (touch glasses lower; fill them fuller because the liquid cushions the blow; etc.), and now I wonder if, in my long experience of wine-drinking, I have been cheersing insufficiently enthusiastically. 4204