John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Anyone who "denies any wrongdoing" has usually done something wrong 000
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026#ManCity What a mess. City's next scheduled fixture (Oct 11) is away to Liverpool. Imagine the welcome from the #LFC fans. If no sanctions are in place any time soon, all City's opponents should field a team of youth and academy players. Let all their victories be hollow ones 240
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistBrian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026On National Poetry Day, here’s a short poem about the power of poetry to change the world. 22562182
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Atletico Madrid were way ahead of their time 001
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Do not confuse Earl Spencer's memoir 'Swan Song' with the 1930s John Galsworthy novel of the same name. One is about an upper-class family riven by feuds, whose leading male character treated his wife with appalling cruelty some decades earlier. The other was serialised by the BBC in the 1960s 031
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026A modest proposal... The super-rich often pride themselves on their risk-taking and 'talent'. So, money where mouth is... why don't we introduce a monthly 'reverse lottery', whereby a randomly drawn member of the top 1% of earners have all their financial assets snatched away from them... 1/2 110
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026#r4today was very generous in the airtime they gave this individual this morning, without contesting any of his rambling and incoherent views. People have the right to take their money abroad if they want, it's a free country (ha!), but - quid pro quo - STFU 020
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Prince George meeting his new Eton classmates 141
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026I'm old enough to remember when right-wing politicians used to bang on about 'law and order' 000
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Now, other universities need to follow suit. The threat of compulsory redundancy, even if never realized, causes a lot of stress and anxiety, and people work less efficiently as a result. (I should know, I've been there, more than once.) 041
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistThe Onion @theonion.com · 03/09/2026Rolo Ad Greatly Overestimates The Social Element Of Eating Rolos theonion.com/rolo-ad-greatly-overes… 251647129
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Time to resurrect this Private Eye classic. It's some comfort to know she didn't die in vain, now that we have much more responsible, less sensationalist, less intrusive news media 🫤 071
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistCEEFAUX @ceefaux.bsky.social · 31/08/2026We love bank holidays! 67211
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 30/08/2026What's this "roasting" business? Does it simply mean "insult"? I've only ever heard Lone Skum say it. He also likes the word "banger", meaning a popular and catchy tune. So "roasting a banger" would mean, for him, disparaging a popular tune? In Britain, it would mean cooking a sausage 100
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 27/08/2026The attached article is required reading for anyone involved in the massive cost- and staff-cutting exercises currently being pushed through in UK higher education 030
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistAlistair Coleman @alistaircoleman.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Just remembered the Dolly Parton bus. 192719504
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 27/08/2026I had a day out yesterday in Winchester, the capital of Wessex. It's full of historical interest, but the local authority needs to do more to keep traffic out of the centre. Only half the high street is pedestrianized. There's a constant flow of cars and long waits at crossings 030
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistWordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 24/08/2026camp #etymology #wordorigins #languagewordorigins.orgcamp — Wordorigins.org24 August 2026 Camp has a general meaning of temporary dwelling place, originally used in military contexts. But it also has a slang sense, originating in gay slang, of flamboyance or exaggeration,... 022
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 23/08/2026I happened to pass yesterday, near King's Cross, the site of my first lexicography interview, in early 1984. The numerous candidates (for two jobs) also had to complete a test, identifying word senses and writing examples for then buzzwords such as 'generation' and 'identikit'. The rest is history 040
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistJonathan Kasstan @jrkasstan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026#accent in the press last week with a write up featuring @robdrummond.bsky.social and Amanda Cole. Generic Northern (supralocalisation?) and a brief history of accent variation in the corridors of power #linguistics. Incidentally Hansard is a great tool for in-class tasks! 0101
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistViz Comic @vizcomic.bsky.social · 20/08/2026subscriptions >>> shop.viz.co.uk/viz358bs 521946
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist21 Group @21group.bsky.social · 21/08/2026This is the real scandal in UK universities There's a highly paid managerial class that has presided over failure While demanding more & more pay, less & less accountability theguardian.com/education/20... 0287
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistJonathan Coe @jonathancoe.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Full marks for the typo. Chef’s kiss for the reply. 81614305
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistStan Carey @stancarey.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Nice short analysis of some Gen Z grammar and expressions, like "It's giving" and spotlight "not" ("Not me using youth slang again") ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/ge...ygdp.yale.eduGen Z constructions: an overview | Yale Grammatical Diversity Project: English in North America 0155
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Well this isn't something you see very often (unless maybe you happen to live in Lee-on-the-Solent). The man explained that they were an American breed of screech owl, and actually fully grown 041
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistJeremy Noel-Tod @jntod.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Can the UK government now send an emergency alert to teenagers to tell them that they don’t have to squeeze onto an overcrowded course at a Russell Group university because there are lots of other good universities around the country just waiting for their call 27518
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 12/08/2026I posted this last time we had a solar eclipse. I have even less interest in ChatGPT now that it is blocked from imitating the style of named writers, so Alister's job looks safe 010
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Used humorously here, but 'arguably' is such a weaselly word. It's often used to dress up a personal opinion as if it were some objectively demonstrable fact, without the bother of having to do the actual demonstrating 011
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistWordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 06/08/2026centaur / reverse centaur #etymology #wordorigins #languagewordorigins-org.ghost.iocentaur / reverse centaur (free copy)[Words in the News is a weekly, paid feature of Wordorigins.org. If you’d like to receive it in your mailbox each Thursday, please upgrade to a paid subscription at $5/month or $50/year. The funds kee... 131
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Sorry I can't resist... 🎵 Just one spaghetto, give it to meeee, It fell out of the packet, onto your kneee 🎵 162
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 02/08/2026Share a book you'd love to see adapted into a movie 000
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 31/07/2026My 47.5-year career in and around language teaching, lexicography, and academia came to an end today. A lot of colleagues are away so the final day was a bit low-key, but I'm touched by all the kind words and affection shown over the past few weeks. Can't help shedding a tear 😢 3180
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Graduation ceremonies all this week. A local shop has set up this blackboard message. Something not quite rite about the spelling though. Attendees at #EnglishGrammarDay last month will understand why I posted this 😉@tomfreeman.bsky.social @englishgrammar.bsky.social 031
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistViz Comic @vizcomic.bsky.social · 27/07/2026subscriptions >>> shop.viz.co.uk/viz355bs 515725
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Southsea's Canoe Lake is practically drying up, and it looks like there's some kind of algae infestation too 000
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 25/07/2026It's funny, you can "work like a Trojan" or "work like a horse", both meaning "work hard". But you can't "work like a Trojan horse", or if you could it would mean something different 020
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 24/07/2026'A restructure at London South Bank University that is dividing staff into teaching and research tracks could become a “test bed” for the wider sector, staff claim.' New staff to be employed by a subsidiary, and won't have access to TPS. 1/4timeshighereducation.com‘Nuclear’ restructure at London South Bank seen as ‘test bed’University claims its changes will protect academic jobs and strengthen teaching but striking staff say reforms pose an ‘existential’ threat 4811
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 23/07/2026I was considering a career in lexicography but didn't want to be defined by my profession 130
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistGretchen McCulloch @gretchenmcculloch.com · 19/07/2026Somehow I missed this incredible Weird Al Yankovic song that's entirely in palindromes when it came out, so in case that's also you, please enjoy it nowyoutu.be"Weird Al" Yankovic - Bob (HD Version)YouTube video by alyankovicVEVO 911317
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 16/07/2026I think I've heard something similar in another sector I could mention 000
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Had the proud distinction today of being called a 'din' by a Portsmouth man, when I objected to his dogs using the grand-kids' little boat (also containing Mrs @lexicoj0hn's dress) as a toilet. It's a general term of abuse down here, short for 'dinlo', akin to the Liverpudlian 'div' or 'divvy' 010
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistDavid Graeber Institute @davidgraeberinst.bsky.social · 11/07/2026 112658
John Williams, Linguist @lexicoj0hn.bsky.social · 11/07/2026England practising some bewildering changes of formation in an attempt to outfox this evening's opponents #ENG-NOR 000
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistEd Granter @edgranter.bsky.social · 11/07/2026There's nothing new under the sun, by the waybbc.co.ukTribunal to be held for dismissed Swansea University academicsTwo member of staff have had their appeals against dismissal rejected by Swansea University. 032
Reposted by John Williams, LinguistLarry the Cat @number10cat.bsky.social · 11/07/2026Ahead of England v Norway in the World Cup, enjoy this classic from my old pal Patrick Kidd in The Times 5973691606