When is a potato not a potato? When it’s a sweet potato! Celebrate #SweetPotatoDay by learning about the history of both types of potato, and how they’ve affected world history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdPQ8zFUipw
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Happy #GeologistsDay! The early history of the field of geology is fascinating, and surprisingly explosive – and we explored it in our video on the word “Fossil”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9yNwRBlKtU
Surly
/adjective/
(16th-century alteration of sirly)
: irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly
: threatening, menacing, gloomy
"The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, [...] and surly."
Wiktionarysurly - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
simile
/noun/
: a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as
(as in cheeks like roses)
www.merriam-webster.comDefinition of SIMILEDefinition of 'simile' by Merriam-Webster
Further to earlier toots about words in #English architecture dependent on geography – it was only through years of hanging out with British friends that I realized their "garden" didn't actually mean a soil-turned, rows of flowers or veg. It was in fact just their "yard."
We here may have a garden in our yard or maybe not. In UK/Aus it could be that people have no "garden" at all in their garden.
Why isn't the London police HQ located at "Scotland Garden" though?
#Bonobos may combine #words in ways previously thought unique to humans - #TheGuardian
"Yelps – thought to mean “let’s do that” – followed by grunts – thought to mean “look at what I am doing”, were combined to make “yelp-grunt”, which appeared to mean “let’s do what I’m doing”. The combination, the team said, reflected the sum of its parts and was used by bonobos to encourage others to build their night nests."
The Guardian · Bonobos may combine words in ways previously thought unique to humans
Replied in thread
"So long as Western societies cling to their chaotically unhealthy attitudes toward sex, the swearer will never want for four-letter words."
—Ashley Montagu, The Anatomy of Swearing
Continued thread
Montagu's book devotes one long chapter to the peculiar history of the word "bloody", which, he writes, "accumulated so much magic that it provided an unfailing source of energy for use in all sorts of refined meanings."
infallible
/adjective/
a : incapable of error : unerring
b : not liable to mislead, deceive, or disappoint : certain
c : incapable of error in defining doctrines touching faith or morals
"[...] and this idea that he’s infallible." he said.
www.merriam-webster.comDefinition of UPHEAVALDefinition of 'upheaval' by Merriam-Webster
upheaval
/noun/
a : the action or an instance of upheaving especially of part of the earth's crust
b: extreme agitation or disorder : radical change
"[...] some obstacles and/or upheaval may take place in your life" she wrote.
www.merriam-webster.comDefinition of UPHEAVALDefinition of 'upheaval' by Merriam-Webster
I just tried to type “monster” and it autocorrected to “duck sheriff”, which is both preposterous and objectively much more satisfying.
facetious
/adjective/
a : joking or jesting often inappropriately
| "just being facetious"
b : meant to be humorous or funny : not serious
| "a facetious remark"
via Merriam-Webster
www.merriam-webster.comDefinition of FACETIOUSDefinition of 'facetious' by Merriam-Webster
secularism
/noun/
a : Religious skepticism or indifference.
b : The view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education.
via Wordnik
#WordOfTheDay #Words #Writing #WritingCommunity #EnglishLanguage
Wordnik.comsecularism — definition, examples, related words and more at WordnikAll the words
Yoh! Yoh, yoh, yoh. I'm so proud of us! A bunch of South Africanisms are now included in the OED: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2er7qwz31o?utm_source=Mastodon (h/t @BBC_News_Labs)
As an aside, I didn't realise that "moggy" was a South Africanism. To be honest, I thought it was British... #English #words #SouthAfrica
www.bbc.comSouth African words such as yoh added to Oxford English DictionaryThe latest update includes "loan words" from several countries, including South Africa and Ireland.
New #words enter #English from #ESEA countries ( predictably many of them are about #food 
)
BBC NewsGigil, alamak among new words in Oxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary has added new untranslatable words from South East Asia.
The surprisingly connected origins of "lack" and "leak". https://youtube.com/shorts/e3ssSRqzih8
