iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 01/10/2026

Attention everyone I know! Perfectly accurate, no notes. (Forwarded to me; ultimate source unclear.)

Image headlined "WHAT YOUR FAVORITE OBSOLETE ENGLISH LETTER SAYS ABOUT YOU", with thumbnails of MSS focusing on thorn, eth, wynn, yogh, ash, insular G, and long S; each one has the label "You are a nerd."

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 29/09/2026

I do have to pay rent, but on the other hand.... www.swanngalleries.com/auction-lot/...

Two-page spread of the Kelmscott Press edition of Swinburne's _Atalanta in Calydon_

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 11/09/2026

Have 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.)

Photograph of a bag of books. Visible on top: the latest edition of my book, The F-Word; David Halberstam's _The Amateurs_; Stefan Dollinger's _Creating Canadian English_; Sorley MacLean's _From Wood to Ridge_. Faintly visible beneath is Gretchen McCulloch's _Because Internet_.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 04/09/2026

I'd always assumed it's because these are discrete rather than continuous settings. But OED has elaborate history (this is an unrevised entry from 1917, mind you):

Screenshot of OED's entry for _stop_ n. sense II. 12:

Optics. A perforated plate or diaphragm used to cut off marginal rays of light round a lens. Cf. diaphragm n. II.4a. Also in Photography, a diaphragm or (originally) a perforated plate for reducing the effective diameter of the lens of a camera or enlarger (now usually built into the apparatus); hence used as a unit of change of relative aperture (or exposure or film speed), a reduction of one stop being equivalent to a halving of any of these.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 02/09/2026

Help 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!

Picture of a hand pulling a glass out of a cupboard. The glass is a plain glass (not crystal) highball glass; near the base, there are four indentations, in a cruciform pattern.

Picture of a hand holding a glass, over a cutting board. The glass is a plain glass (not crystal) highball glass; near the base, there are four indentations, in a cruciform pattern.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/08/2026

The Times referred to Sun Ra as "Mr. Ra" regularly; here's the earliest I can find, from February 19th, 1962:

Image of the NY Times:
If gimmickry were all, the "space age jazz" of a group led by a pianist, philosopher and poet who calls himself Le Sun Ra would be assured of success. Mr. Ra, whose Cosmic Space Jazz Group has been preparing Chicagoans musically for the future for the last eight years, made his New York debut yesterday afternoon at the Charles Theatre, Avenue B and Twelfth Street, as part of a series of weekly jazz concerts there.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/08/2026

Here's "Mr. Scabies" (the image is cut off). No suggestion of a joke ("Mr." is used of other members of The Damned elsewhere in the article). Previous paragraph also has "Mr. Scabies's explosive drumming suggested the late Keith Moon of the Who" (not in image). Jon Pareles, July 18th 1989.

The Damned hasn't lost its sense of rock as anarchic theater. During the final song - ''The Last Time'' - Captain Sensible wore only shoes, socks and his guitar, and Mr. Scabies concluded it by knocking his drums off their platform. The Who, from whom Mr. Scabies borrowed the gambit, wouldn't think of doing that sort of thing nowadays.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/08/2026

They jokingly used it in a 1991 headline. Then they did circle back to this several times: Safire mentioned in '95 (quoting Allan Siegal); in 2007 Merrill Perlman and later in 2007 Phil Corbett discussed the incident, both in response to reader queries. Mentioned again in 2022 after Meat Loaf died.

Image of a NYTimes headline over a film review by Stephen Holden: "Is He Called Just Plain Meat Or Should It Be Mr. Loaf?", from July 17, 1991, p. C14

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/08/2026

I'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:

Facebook post from Eminem, with his introduction reading "I'm sorry we never got a chance to meet, but getting this note from Dolly really had a an impact on me. She definitely didn't have to take the time to do it. Even for a kid who mostly listened to rap music, she was an icon. A superstar in every sense. Rest easy Dolly. And thank you for the kind words."

Below, a screenshot of a message from Dolly Parton, with a big "Dolly" signature in pink, and the message:

"Marshall (Eminem),

Congratulations on your induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Your performance was amazing and everybody said so. Even though I don't know a lot about rap music, I've come to know that you are the very best at it. Aside from that I hope what I have to say will not seem weird or strange to you but I have always felt some unexplained connection to you like I know you somehow. I had hoped to meet you at the show but you know how nuts those things are, personally I hate 'em and I missed my chance but maybe someday we'll meet. In the meantime, keep doing what you're doing because you do it so well and no matter how complex your world may be just know you are very special and touch people in ways you don't even know.

With love & respect,
Dolly Parton"

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 06/08/2026

Best birthday present ever: Friends who live upstate foraged like $10,000 worth of chanterelles from their mountainside, and gave me a sack of them.

A cutting board heaping with chanterelle mushrooms

A frying pan full of a fuckton of butter and chanterelles.

A black-and-white plate with scrambled eggs with chanterelles, with chopped parsley on top.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 04/08/2026

Happy "There Will Come Soft Rains" Day! Ray Bradbury's greatest short story takes place on August 4, 2026 (in most editions; see alt text). If you haven't seen it, you must watch this incredibly disturbing animated Soviet version (Uzbekfilm, 1984.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oxP...

Image of text, from Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains":

"Today is August 4, 2026," said a second voice from the kitchen ceiling, "in the city of Allendale, California." It repeated the date three times for memory's sake. "Today is Mr. Featherstone's birthday. Today is the anniversary of Tilita's marriage. Insurance is payable, as are the water, gas, and light bills."

(The date was April 28, 1985 in the original printing; very recent editions give the date as August 4, 2057.)

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 31/07/2026

Was just realizing how many books by my friends I currently have on my desk! Yay Bluesky! @moudhy.bsky.social @norsebysw.bsky.social @dannybate.com @susiedentwords.bsky.social (N.B. I've only met one of these in person, and haven't even corresponded with others. Nonetheless they're my friends.)

Picture of my desk, with Moudhy Al-Rashid's _Between Two Rivers_, Jackson Crawford's _The Poetic Edda_, Danny Bate's _Why Q Needs U_, and Susie Dent's _Guilty By Definition_ arranged on display. There's another stack of books behind it, and you can also see a speaker and a corner of a monitor; in the background there's a couple of bookcases, an 1890s cognac poster, a chair, etc.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 20/07/2026

Fuckin' AI and Republicans, man. When I was young, vegetables were cheap and safe, and writers and editors were important and valued. Now letters are free and tomatoes are a fortune.

Photo of a bodega display menu, focused on an "Add Extra" section, with "Tomatoes" for $50 (not "$.50"), "Letters" [sic] for "$free", and "Cheese" for $75.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 25/06/2026

Name a film with a title that is a full sentence.

Poster for the film "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 17/06/2026

Check this shit out! I'm squatting and there's this serious-ass death bird screaming at me three feet away!

Picture of a squat rack with a window behind it, and a raptor standing on the window ledge

Picture of a window with a raptor standing on the ledge

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 13/06/2026

Took my daughter to Trek Long Island. There were lots of nerds. I got lots of love and "fezzes are cool!" from fans of the Eleventh Doctor.

Selfie of me in a jacket, bow tie, and fez, and a smiling young woman in a Star Trek lieutenant commander costume.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 03/06/2026

Footnote of the day, from Chandler's 1811 _Life of William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester_: in which we learn that in 1502 the Fellows of Magdalen College Oxford hired professional astrologers to find out who had stolen £112 from the bursary. I think it was an inside job: the astrologers did it.

To Richard Arderne, Thomas Knolles, and Laurence Stubbs
succeeded as bursars, 18 Hen. VII, John Stokysley, John Hygdon, and John Drewett. This year the chest in the bursary was
robbed of £112. They were sworn to the loss, and then their account was passed, but with a reserve in case proof should be found
against them. In the account-book of the next year are the fol-
lowing entries respecting this business.

"Solut cuidam scholastico qut (quatenus) misso ad quendam astrologum consulendum pro bonis coll" ablatis superiori anno xvid."

"In regardis 2bus astrologis calculantibus pro eisdem bonis coll xx6."

"Pro vino dato astrologis variis vicibus per billam xiid."
"Uni astrologo de Westmynstre pro furto recuperando, xiii. iiiid".

(Not sure of all the superscripts, sorry.)

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 02/06/2026

Every lexicographer's online profile:

Screenshot of an "About me" section, with a link labelled "+ Add preferred buggy whip size"

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 20/05/2026

Finally, finally made it to southern Carroll Gardens and had @hels.bsky.social's beloved Vegitalian sandwich at Court Street Grocers, and OMG it's so good! Messy, though. Will definitely be doing this again.

Picture of a long sandwich cut in half and wrapped in paper, on my desk

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 14/05/2026

From Ian Ogilvy's _Loose Chippings_ (1996):

'The worst? Oh—jolly good, sis. Ha ha. A boyfriend, eh? Well, well. What a turn up for the books. I don't mind telling you, my gob is smacked and my gast is flabbered and my thunder is struck—'
'Thank you, Henry.'

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 09/05/2026

Filet Mignon with heroin sauce! Codfish balls with powdered morphine sulphate! Veal loaf a la cocanus! If this were a @jayasaxena.com article about the San Francisco dining from last week, I'd be giggling myself to death about it, but it's from 1916.

Clipping from an article in the San Francisco Examiner, 29 Feb. 1916: "Morphine Served A la Carte to Cafe Patrons / Sleuth Confiscated Mashed Potatoes and Penetrates Secret Menu of Drug Feast." About an SF restaurant serving opiates in some dishes.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 07/05/2026

But…. But…. I still have some papers to finish!

Screenshot of an old periodical* with a headline reading "TIME WAS UP." and the subhed "It was Quit Coffee or Die."

* The Delineator, May 1901.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 30/04/2026

Today in Books You Didn't Know Existed:

Image of the title page of _'Isms: A Dictionary of Words Ending in -ISM, -OLOGY and -PHOBIA: With Some Similar Terms Arranged in Subject Order_ published by the Libraries and Arts Committee, Sheffield City Libraries, 1963.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 29/04/2026

Proof that my life is more exciting than yours, losers: I antedated the OED's entry for "phillumeny"—the hobby of collecting matchbooks or similar items—from 1951 to 1949. And tweaked the definition. (Credit to Paul Lukas's Inconspicuous Consumption for getting me onto the subject.)

Picture of a bunch of matchbooks, taken from Paul Lukas's _Inconspicuous Consumption_.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 28/04/2026

Emails I did not finish (or, really, start) reading:

Screenshot of an email with the subject line "Freelance Native Linguist Opportunity with [REDACTED]", continuing "Hi,
I’m reaching out on behalf of [REDACTED]. We are currently hiring native linguists / language consultants for a paid remote project in the speech AI evaluation space. We are looking for support in the US English Language.

The role involves reviewing and refining sentence sets, checking for natural spoken usage, and guiding us on how use-case-specific communication is typically expressed in your language and country context.

We are looking for native speakers with strong linguistic intuition. A Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Linguistics, Language Studies, Translation, Localization, Literature, Communication, or a related field would be preferred. Relevant certifications"

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 27/04/2026

If @scalzi.com has convinced you that living in a church in Ohio is a cool thing to do, here's a pretty metal one in Cincinnati for you: www.zillow.com/homedetails/...

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/04/2026

Shared by a friend on Facebook: Gary Snyder posing a few weeks ago with his copy of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary. He turns 96 on May 8.

Picture of an elderly man in a rural-looking cabin posing next to a copy of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary (the original version, two volumes in a slipcase with magnifying glass)

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 24/04/2026

Well, this was a lot easier than going to Barcelona.

Photograph of the flier and menu for the pop-up of Paradiso, the Barcelona cocktail bar, in residency at MAD Bar in New York. Forgive me for not transcribing the elaborate menu.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 20/04/2026

Meegan Ochs (Phil Ochs's daughter) dancing while the Reverend Gary Davis plays guitar. NYC, ca1968.

Photo of an older black man sitting in a chair wearing sunglasses and a hat and a suit, playing a 12-string guitar, while a young blonde girl in a gingham dress dances next to him

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 17/04/2026

The OED has a first example of "forty-foot pole" in 1838, with "ten-foot pole" in 1864. The first example of "wouldn't touch it with a bargepole" is 1861 (rare in US). Both are thus far earlier than Krusty, who was jocularly adding "clown" to the earlier expression.

Screenshot of the OED entry for "I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole" + variants.

P.2.
1838–
Originally U.S. I wouldn't touch it (also him, her, etc.) with a ten-foot (also forty-foot) pole: I refuse to have anything to do with (a person or thing). Cf. I wouldn't touch it (also him, her, etc.) with a barge pole at barge pole n. Phrases

1838

She was jest as good as mine, till you com a goin arter her, and now I can't touch her with a forty foot pole.

Huron Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio) 19 June
1843

Senator Lahm, and Representatives Kilgore and Martin,..would not touch it [sc. a piece of legislation] with a ten foot pole. They knew it would not work.

Ohio Repository (Canton, Ohio) 5 October

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 13/04/2026

Got to see Stephin Merritt of @themagfields.bsky.social playing "The Book of Love" on a cigar-box ukulele, at Wesley Stace (a.k.a. John Wesley Harding)'s Cabinet of Wonders. Great, great show, many other awesome acts that I didn't photograph.

Photo of Stephin Merritt playing a ukulele on a stage, in front of a screen projecting a live-artwork accompaniment

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 07/04/2026

Oh look, a new book, on its publication day.

Picture of my hand holding a copy of Ben Lerner's novel _Transcription_

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 24/03/2026

There's an OED entry for that.

Partial screenshot of the OED entry for "gel" n.(1), etymologized as "Representing a regional (southern English), affected, or (specifically English) upper-class and upper-middle-class pronunciation of girl n." and defined as "British. A girl, a young woman; spec. an upper-class or aristocratic young Englishwoman."

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 23/03/2026

<sigh> Have we been living without it, though?

Partial screenshot of the OED entry for _somewhy_, labelled "rare", and defined as "For some reason or reasons", with two mid-19th C. quotations, one of which is from Robert Browning. (Note that this is an unrevised entry, so more research will definitely show more evidence.)

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 21/03/2026

Book I am very excited to have received

Photo of a copy of Umberto Eco's The Infinity of Lists, on a glass desktop with my hand holding it in place

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 19/03/2026

This is some amazing municipal signage (stolen from a friend elsewhere): You are absolutely forbidden from playing bocce on this lawn bowling court, but here are incredibly detailed driving instructions to a place where you can play bocce.

Picture, showing a pair of signs in an apparent park, with a lovely tree in the near background and a flat manicured lawn in the far background. The first sign reads "San Diego [/] PLEASE [/] Lawn bowling only [/] Bocce or any other activity prohibited" The second sign reads "Directions to free public boccecourts [sic]", followed by detailed and complicated driving directions.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 17/03/2026

Using this opportunity to send OED an example of "mirror ball" from a 1919 issue of Variety, containing a review of a burlesque performance.

Screenshot from the Nov. 28, 1919 issue of Variety, from a review of a burlesque performance, partly containing the text "It landed a solid wallop. A simple mirror ball effect with reflected lights helped the number greatly."

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 26/02/2026

🎵 Can't find my way home 🎵

Photo of the door of an apartment, numbered "404".

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 18/02/2026

In which I learn that _farewell_ can be used as a verb in Australian English. (The Australian National Dictionary has this from 1878, but it was new to me!)

Caption from an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sidney, for the artist Shaun Gladwell, containing in part the text "...a ritual in which surfers farewell the recently deceased..."

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 16/02/2026

Zero-derivativation Down Under. I think @fritinancy.bsky.social collects examples of this sort of thing?

Photograph of a gym interior, with the slogan "the power of positive" printed diagonally on a wall, and a squat rack with the bar loaded to 130kg in the foreground

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 15/02/2026

Oh, different trip, but I can do that too!

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 15/02/2026

I feel a sudden urge to solve a crossword puzzle.

Picture of a young child in a zoo looking at a cassowary, which for the purpose of this skeet, I am imagining could be clued in some "emu"-related way

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 15/02/2026

Australia has the cuddliest names for their animals

Picture of a snake in a zoo, identified on a sign as a "northern death adder"

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