iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 11h

My Chambers etymology books are the Powerpuff Girls

the powerpuff girls positioned above three corresponding book covers

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 04/10/2026

I’ve had to evict about a dozen rolly pollies from the branches

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 02/10/2026

Look at this asshole Chased a squirrel and ended up running two miles away through the woods Thank god he had a GPS collar on

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 01/10/2026

One podcast was simply not enough! My coauthor Shannon Miller and I started a casual little pod called Ms. Miscellany. For our first episode it's just us, but in the following episodes we'll interview interesting people about their career twists and the fun facts they've learned along the way.

a social card about a podcast called Ms Miscellany with Shannon Miller & Jess Zafarris

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 01/10/2026

Yes there is a reason I did not try this on my Brittany first. (Also, pics!)

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 30/09/2026

Tried to make Fable a ghost costume and found it’s a bit harder than it looks Will update with attempt no. 2

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 30/09/2026

The girlies all together 🥹

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 30/09/2026

Gaahhh my publisher has copies in London but I don’t have mine yet! Gimmegimmegimme

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 28/09/2026

I have three dogs, a cat, and a turtle because law, convention, and safety prevent me from living my true dreams

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 26/09/2026

Eleven years ago today, I married this guy!

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 25/09/2026

Weirdest thing I’ve seen at the Big E today

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 23/09/2026

It's here! @robwords.com and I discuss idioms and saying from around the world in our latest episode of Words Unravelled: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBIX...

a social card for an episode of the words unravelled podcast that reads funny idioms around the world and has images of a shrimp sandwich, blue almonds, and a hedgehog above two smiling people.

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 22/09/2026

The wee ones have lost their spots!

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 18/09/2026

The thing I'm most excited about for the release of my next book (Into the Words: An Etymologist's Field Guide to Plants, Animals, and Nature) is the clever illustrations that my sister, Melissa Farris, created for the book. Each one captures multiple facets of the species' etymology stories.

A cougar on a book with a map, a conquistador's helmet, and piece of a mesoamerican monument

A skeleton holding daffodils and asphodel

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 16/09/2026

BIG congrats to @robwords.com on 1 mil YouTube subscribers!

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 16/09/2026

Words Unravelled hit 100 episodes! 🥳🎉 @robwords.com and I are celebrating with 100 of our favorite rapid-fire word facts from the past 50 episodes. Catch the latest episode here (or wherever you get your podcasts!): www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PM_...

Two people on a dictionary-style background with the words 100 word facts and words unravelled.

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 15/09/2026

hey past Jess: fuck you (Today I recorded this passage for the audiobook of Useless Etymology)

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 12/09/2026

Get you a brew dog (or two) for Oktoberfest

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 10/09/2026

The unhelpful canines in question

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 10/09/2026

Oh I have one of those. He didn’t help either These assholes would all just leave me to my fate in the event of an intruder

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 10/09/2026

I was just looking at NFL logos, and I noticed that every (this isn't the right word but) "directional" logo—that is, every logo that features an animal or gives you the sense that the logo is going or looking somewhere is headed to the right, except for the Eagles, whose logo is headed to the left.

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 06/09/2026

Happiest birthday to @soundoftheforest.bsky.social, the entomology to my etymology ❤️ Here’s a lovely fresh cicada I found recently.

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 06/09/2026

As a terrible singer, my favorite karaoke experience (pictured) is getting a woman who wants to sing but doesn’t want to do it by herself to do “Ironic” with me. Done it thrice. We sell the fuck out of it. Bonus points if someone there knows I’ve done explainers on the actual meaning of “ironic.”

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 31/08/2026

mfw I get to talk about words!

A person in a jumpsuit on a stage in front of a crowd of people

A smiling person on a stage in front of the words "talk about words" that are displayed on a screen behind her

A person speaking on a stage about the word antidisestablishmentarianism

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 27/08/2026

Yeah but joeys are little shitheads 😄

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 27/08/2026

I might ask this kangaroo to kick me instead

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 27/08/2026

I added a last minute slide for Dolly, talking about the fact that she’s mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary eight times in the example sentences for a glorious array of terms. I had to put it at the end because I knew I’d tear up. My fellow Tennessean, my queen of music and literacy. 🩵

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 27/08/2026

I delivered the closing keynote at the State of Social conference in Perth, Australia. The organizers told me they wouldn’t mind if I swore a bit, so I dropped a few amid a heap of etymology facts and encouragement not to let the chatbots dull our words and wit. Lovely feedback so far. 🩵

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 25/08/2026

Uh, just to make this MORE unsettling

A screenshot of text from Wikipedia:

Suicide
On 28 February 1929 Clemens von Pirquet and his wife committed suicide with potassium cyanide.[2]

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 24/08/2026

The parks have indigenous language and history facts everywhere

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 24/08/2026

Etymology! The origin of Matagarup, the name of that cool black and white bridge.

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 24/08/2026

The black swan, state bird of Western Australia

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 23/08/2026

Interesting and somewhat ominous alternative to “not an exit” that I haven’t seen elsewhere

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 23/08/2026

They make great bridges around here

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 23/08/2026

Someone gave him a teddy graham (or whatever Australians call teddy graham-like products)

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 23/08/2026

I am heavily invested in this drama

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 21/08/2026

I had an especially good time with this one! In the latest episode of Words Unravelled, @robwords.com and I discuss Latin words and influence in English. www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Gt...

Two people on a red background with the words "Latin Words in English" and "Words Unravelled" in the corner.

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Jess Zafarris @jesszafarris.com · 17/08/2026

Took me a moment to realize that these are decapitated ant heads. Seems there’s a formic Reign of Terror happening on my patio. Liberté, egalité, myrmexié!