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John Kelly

@mashedradish.bsky.social
846 followers 787 following 1.3K posts

Middle-school English teacher. Former dictionary editor and spokesperson. I write about etymology at mashedradish.com.

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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Sometimes it’s enough for a name just to be the name. On "tilcayo," the newly identified cat species: mashedradish.com/2026/10/01/t...
mashedradish.com
What is the Origin of "Tilcayo," the Newly Discovered Cat Species?
Where does the name of the newly identified tilcayo, a unique cat species from Bolivia that resembles a leopard in a miniature form, come from?
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Strong Language @stronglang.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
FTA: @mashedradish.bsky.social with more abusive language from the Bard stronglang.wordpress.com/2016/07/10/m...
stronglang.wordpress.com
“More man? Plague, plague!”: How to curse like a misanthrope
Shakespeare’s The Life of Timon of Athens is an overlooked gem in his corpus. Though less accomplished than many of his other tragedies, this moral drama is distinctive – and timely – in its focus …
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Just finished Tarjei Vesaas's 'The Birds' for the first time. Damn. I need a minute to catch my breath.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Cue one of my lessons this very week, where I literally put on a slide: "We don't read for IXL and standardized tests. We read to make meaning in our lives."
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Oh, god. Feel for you. It's the worst—but it *will* get better.
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Strong Language @stronglang.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
FTA: How can Shakespeare be rude? Let @mashedradish.bsky.social count the ways stronglang.wordpress.com/2016/04/23/f...
stronglang.wordpress.com
Four hundred years later, the Bard’s “pizzle” is still nice and stiff
Four hundred years ago today, Shakespeare shuffled off this mortal coil. Across the globe, bardolators are observing the date – if not the whole month, nay, year – with various celebrations of his …
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
“Dolly” is pet form of an Ancient Greek-derived name later repurposed for toys and film cameras. A belated etymological tribute: mashedradish.com/2026/09/04/d...
mashedradish.com
The divine gift of “Dolly”
“Dolly” is pet form of an Ancient Greek-derived name later repurposed for toys and film cameras.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It really says something about this moment when my sixth-graders, in response to a prompt on "If you could change one rule in your life...," were responding about food and gas being free because prices are so high for their families.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I teach Grade 6 English. EVERY parent/guardian I met at our recent family night was RELIEVED and HEARTENED when I told them, verbatim: "In reading class, we read. In writing class, we write. I minimize time on screens and computers. Goodness knows they get enough of that everywhere else in life."
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The origin of the word STUDENT seems like something a teacher would have cooked up. mashedradish.com/2026/08/22/t...
mashedradish.com
“Teacher” and “student”: an etymological show-and-tell
Students need a “push” in more ways than one.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
And, at least for two of my students in 2026, it remains just as absorbing!
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
First day of school for the middle schoolers. During independent reading (yeah, we read books right away in my classes), not one but two—TWO—students in separate classes chose the big, beautiful American Heritage Dictionary in my classroom library's reference section. Gonna be a good year.
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Strong Language @stronglang.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
FTA: @mashedradish.bsky.social find a connection between bunnies and pussies stronglang.wordpress.com/2016/03/26/g...
stronglang.wordpress.com
Going down the coney hole
Easter: It’s a fuckable feast. For its Christian observers, of course, Easter marks the salvific resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. A cornerstone of the faith, the holiday teems with symbo…
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I wrote about the diarrhea. OK, I wrote about lettuce, which means I wrote about how the word is literally "milk." mashedradish.com/2026/08/03/l...
mashedradish.com
The word “lettuce” is made of “milk”
The etymology of “lettuce” takes us from tiny seeds to the entire galaxy.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
"AI gooning"
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Lynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Accidentally deleted my newsletter announcement post—once more with feeling, thanks @byagoda.bsky.social @ebrenner.bsky.social @michaelerard.bsky.social @mashedradish.bsky.social @wordorigins.bsky.social Nick Cave and Fernando Pessoa! lynneguist.substack.com/p/soccer-it-...
lynneguist.substack.com
Soc(cer) it to me!
This time: football/soccer, the US's 250th, lotsa links, and Nick Cave distraction
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
"... a lot of just want to see the Cyclops already!" Me, riffing in a fun interview with CNN about the origin and evolution of the word 'odyssey.' www.cnn.com/2026/07/23/e...
cnn.com
What makes a journey an ‘odyssey’ anyway? | CNN
The word “odyssey” today often evokes a long, spirited adventure that doesn’t reflect the misery Odysseus endured in Homer’s epic poem.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Today in staring at words too closely like their the sun: KEEP. What even are you, KEEP? I shield my eyes.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Hey, thanks!
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Mythic origin of ODYSSEUS given in Odyssey is HATED (BY GODS & MEN). Folk etymology, though heavy with valences. Actual origin? Obscure. Could be Pre-Greek *OD/LUKYEU-, probably referring to some Bronze Age dude who did a thing, hero worship ballooning from there. mashedradish.com/2026/07/18/o...
mashedradish.com
The etymological odyssey of “Odysseus”
Tell me, O Muse, of the origin of the name of the man of many devices. And why Latin calls him “Ulysses,” if you don’t mind.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Well, this turned out to be an adventure. mashedradish.com/2026/07/18/o...
mashedradish.com
The etymological odyssey of “Odysseus”
Tell me, O Muse, of the origin of the name of the man of many devices. And why Latin calls him “Ulysses,” if you don’t mind.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
RESCIND < Latin RESCINDERE, meaning TEAR OFF and by extension REPEAL. Its past participle is RESCISSUS. That form ultimately sets up the English RESCISSION. Oh, the -SCIND-/-SCISS- (TO CUT, SPLIT) part of this all is ultimately related to the English SHIT. You can put the rest together.
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John Warner @biblioracle.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Not sure what this says about me, but the more I explore the capacities of generative AI the less it interests me. I'm not denying its potential power, just that how it does what it does is not nearly as interesting as the thoughts and expressions of some other, any other, human being.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Ahhhh yes, of course!
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
America celebrated a SESQUICENTENNIAL (150 years) in 1926. It was a world's fair in Philadelphia—and it was also a bust, though nowhere nearly as bad as whatever is (or isn't) happening on the National Mall. philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/sesqu...
philadelphiaencyclopedia.org
Sesquicentennial International Exposition (1926) - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
In 1926, Philadelphia hosted the Sesquicentennial, a world’s fair, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
So, SEMI- is from Latin for "half." I did not know that English once had its own native cognate to SEMI0: SAM-. It was used in words like SAM-HALE (half whole; sick) and SAM-SODDEN (half-baked; stupid). It may survive in SAND-BLIND (half-blind), altered by SAND.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
I mean, we could have gone with DUCENTIQUINQUAGINTENNIAL... mashedradish.com/2026/07/04/s...
mashedradish.com
Semiquincentennial: the origins of an America-sized word
This big word for a big milestone is made up of lots of little Latin roots.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Everyone now and again, apropos of literally nothing, I like to remember that the word "crisp" comes from the Latin for "curled." How 'bout that?
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I feel ya! bsky.app/profile/mash...
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Irish Literary Times @irishlittimes.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
There were more people at Bloomsday that actually read Ulysses.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Fun fact: we DRAW pictures because we are pulling a pencil or like across paper! For more on the topic, here's one from the archives: mashedradish.com/2016/10/10/w...
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
DRAW probably connected to WITHDRAW, as in one party drawing back form another in a context? DRAW is Old English (dragan). Earliest senses are of PULLING and DRAGGING. DRAG likely related. TIE is also Old English (tigan; teag). Senses like now.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
For TIE, OED finds it in 1680 in a gaming encyclopedia in context of a trick-taking and bluffing card game called Putt. Why TIE settles in North American English and DRAW UK and elsewhere? Unclear. Maybe special cricket senses of DRAW had influence. Distinction seems to settle in by late 1800s.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
For DRAW, oldest sense is implied in DRAWN MATCH, as OED attests in 1610. Appears in a letter between two diplomats in which writer likens unresolved parliamentary debate to cockfighting.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
It was great talking to CNN's Harmeet Kaur on why we call a DRAW, as in TIE, a DRAW: www.cnn.com/2026/06/24/s...
cnn.com
Why does a ‘draw’ sometimes feel like a win? | CNN
Some of the most thrilling matches in this World Cup have resulted in a 0-0 score. Thanks, Cape Verde!
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Very interesting: - OED first attests DREADLOCKS in 1960 - DREAD + LOCKS (of hair) - DREAD part may refer to Rastafarians' DREAD (fear, awe) of God (Jah) Also: - DREAD is from Old English ONDRÆDAN, "to advise against" - O/AND- (against) + RÆDAN (advise), source of READ (!!!)
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Not a ton to say about the etymology of ALGAE as such. From the Latin ALGA, "seaweed," whose deeper roots are obscure. The plural of ALGA in Latin is ALGAE. Borrowed in early 1500s, used in singular early until, as now, the plural form took over.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
French ^for "doorkeeper"
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
This prompted me to look up its etymology. Neat! USHER comes from French "doorkeeper" (cf. huissier), ultimately from Latin OSTIUM (door), related to OS (mouth).
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
I'm seeing a pattern! I will note that these particular plural forms do allow both hard and soft G pronunciations.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Oh, excellent example. Follows the same pattern, too. Latin borrowing. 'Hard g' before back vowel, 'soft g' before front.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
What are other examples of English words that feature a change in consonant pronunciation between singular forms, as with singular ALGA's 'hard g' and the plural ALGAE's 'soft g'? (Original Latin is a hard g. Suspect 'soft g' form prevails due to English phonological conditions, biases?)
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Not a ton to say about the etymology of ALGAE as such. From the Latin ALGA, "seaweed," whose deeper roots are obscure. The plural of ALGA in Latin is ALGAE. Borrowed in early 1500s, used in singular early until, as now, the plural form took over.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
English FATHER and Latin PATER? Related? You better believe they are. And something known as Grimm's Law explains how. And why not read about it in the context of ... the etymology of FOOTBALL? mashedradish.com/2026/06/20/f...
mashedradish.com
“Football”: a simple word with striking roots
Cock-threshing. Shrovetide. Hocktide. I-mutations. Grimm’s Law. Octopodes. Pajamas. Private schools, private parts, and the resistance thereof. The origin of “football” has it all…
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Cock-threshing. Shrovetide. Hocktide. I-mutations. Grimm’s Law. Octopodes. Pajamas. Private schools. Private parts—and resistance thereof. The origin of FOOTBALL has it all. I go medieval on it. Like this lil guy on an animal bladder, once used to play the game. mashedradish.com/2026/06/20/f...
Detail of a person inflating an animal bladder in Bruegel's 1560 painting, "Children's Games."
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Cock-threshing. Shrovetide. Hocktide. I-mutations. Grimm’s Law. Octopodes. Pajamas. Private schools. Private parts—and resistance thereof. The origin of FOOTBALL has it all. I go medieval on it. Like this lil guy on an animal bladder, once used to play the game. mashedradish.com/2026/06/20/f...
Detail of a person inflating an animal bladder in Bruegel's 1560 painting, "Children's Games."
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
‼️‼️
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
LIKE (verb) and other parts of speech—along with the adverbial suffix -LY—are all ultimately related. Root is "body, form." LIKE/MISLIKE were originally impersonal. So, IT LIKES ME NOT = It does not please me. Flips in Middle English.
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John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Very interesting to me that DISLIKE, with its Latin-derived prefix, effectively supplanted the native MISLIKE. DISLIKE is recorded in the late 1500s. MISLIKE goes back to Old English (MISLICIAN). MIS- here is a Germanic prefix (bad, lack), not Greek-based one for "hate." LICIAN = to be pleasing.
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