Jess Zafarris 📚
@JessZafarris
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etymology! | author—WORDS FROM HELL + ONCE UPON A WORD | @uselessety | podcast cohost—Words Unravelled | TikTok @jesszafarris | content director @RaganComms
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ANILPIN WE ARE THE ONE
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Pinned Tweet
The paperback cover (right) for WORDS FROM HELL looks like the original's Halloweeny, equally-evil twin! 🔥💀
This edition drops Sept. 24, but is available for preorder now via Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and beyond.
Thanks to
@ChambersWords
@HachetteUS
and
@johnmurrays
!
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Costco’s Kirkland hoodie might be the quietest and most brilliant brand merch drop I’ve ever seen
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Been with my spouse 11 years, married for 8, leapfrogging salaries along the way, and when people ask me for relationship advice, the only thing I'm 100% sure is true and right is this:
Thank and compliment your partner for all the little shit.
It matters. It helps. Every time.
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The word “escalate” didn’t exist before the invention of the escalator
The word “hello” wasn’t a standard greeting before the invention of the Bell telephone
Share a fact that you know is right, but feels so wrong
I'll start...Sharks have been around longer than trees
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@paratinate
@LaymansLinguist
There was an AskReddit recently that asked "What's classy if you're rich and trashy if you're poor?" and one of the top answers was "being bilingual."
I've been thinking hard about that ever since.
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Dutch artist Cor Blok passed away. His illustrations appeared in 60s Dutch editions of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
His works paint such an interesting alternate version of these works.
This is the Fellowship on Caradhras—note Noir Boromir and Aragorn.
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@NoContextBrits
Thanks to their origins, my favorites are:
Kaleidoscope, literally "observer of beautiful things"
Planet "wanderer" from the Greek asteres planetai, "wandering stars"
Astronaut "star-sailor"
Ambivalence "strength on both sides"
Bonus: Callipygian "having beautiful buttocks"
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Hank, I made you a thing! (Sorry for siccing all of my TikTok followers on you.)
@hankgreen
I’m still super fucking pissed off that the answers to “what, where, and when” are “that, there, and then” and no one can explain to me how that happened.
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@AdamCSharp
@NoContextBrits
Fun fact:
Pumpernickel literally means "fart goblin." (German dialectical pumpern "to break wind" + Nickel "goblin, rascal," used as an insult due to associations with Satan as "Old Nick")
Originally an insult but applied to the bread because its fiber content causes gas.
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This includes: cooking, laundry, dishes, snow shoveling, counter wiping, hair trimming, dog brushing, cabinet organizing, furniture repositioning, leaf raking, shelf sorting, product trying, nail filing, clothing donating, table decluttering, grocery running, car fixing etc etc
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Fuckfuckfuck.
The most terrifying thing happened to me earlier—I don’t fully understand it, but I am FREAKING the hell out.
Please don’t read on if you're not into scary things.
This is both graphic and frightening.
It's also a pretty long story. 🧵
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I watched just enough of the
#GRAMMYs
to decide that Cardi B looks like one of the Great Fairies from
#BreathoftheWild
.
@NintendoSwitchC
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A few more:
The words “female” and “male” are not etymologically related
“Nickname” has nothing to do with the name Nick but is from the phrase “an eke name” (eke = “also, additional” in Middle English). The opposite happened with “apron”—“a napron” became “an apron.”
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@hankgreen
Even weirder: “escalate” may be a 20th century invention, but the word “escalade” (like the car) has been around since the 1500s.
Also it’s Edison’s fault that we don’t say “Ahoy!” when greeting people on the phone, which is what Alexander Graham Bell wanted.
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Lmaoo
@hankgreen
this is super relatable but I’m incredibly interested in why my etymology TikTok account was one of your copious open tabs
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“Bridal” was originally not an adjective (bride + the ending -al), but instead was a compound noun formed of the words “bride” + “ale.”
In Old English you could tack -ale onto a word to make it a party.
E.g., a “scythe-ale” was a harvest party.
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My office is based in a Manhattan location of a certain shared workspace company (you know, the alliterative one that’s been in the news a lot lately).
I stayed late last night, and things got… strange. (thread)
#ScaryStories
@gothamghosts
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Today is my last day at
@Adweek
.
For once, I don't have the words to encompass how much this role and, more, these people—both staffers and the social community—have meant to me.
More news soon, but for now, I'm basking in the glow of this cover my colleagues made for me.
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The Ents marching on Isengard, and this one is my favorite because they're so diverse and look like total chill tree bros.
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Just heard a TikToker refer to the 1990s as "the late 1900s" and I do not like it
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Who are my fellow social media professionals over 30?
Let us raise a glass to your storm-weathered years of relentless creativity and tactical brilliance.
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I’m at a whiskey bar in
#FortCollins
and spotted this little number behind the bar.
#amwriting
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Here's Gandalf the White(ish) sharing the story of his battle with the Balrog to Skeptical Legolas, Noiragorn, and You-Call-That-A-Beard Gimli.
One thing I love about this illustration is that Gandalf's story is literally drawn INSIDE him.
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HEYYY look I'm on
@hankgreen
and
@johngreen
's podcast (but just with Hank this time)! 💕
Tune in to learn more about why what/where/when correspond with that/there/then:
Special episode alert! Hank talks to
@JessZafarris
about why you can answer what, when, and where with that, then, and there. Listen here:
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In the
@WritersDigest
archives I found an insanely relevant article about
#BobWoodward
's work and investigative journalism techniques. FASCINATING and still helpful.
@realBobWoodward
So of course I uploaded it to the WD website for everyone to read:
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@ambernoelle
That was some serious character development on his part between the initial complaint and the follow-up!
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It was super interesting writing about
@McDonalds
' strategy for the
@bts_twt
meal and the sweet merch releases around it!
Thanks
@JenniferHealan
for the insights and
@HuinGuillaume
for connecting me for this
@Adweek
piece.
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@baileymeyers
“Askance” as in “She looked askance at him.”
For years I mentally pronounced it as “ASK-ance” and thought it meant “quizzically” or “questioningly.”
Later learned it was pronounce “uh-SKANCE” and means “sideways” (especially in a judgmental or incredulous way).
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Another version of Noiroromir threatening PTSD Frodo.
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@DanielNMiller
My nephew is the kindest, gentlest, most selfless and empathetic human I know. He has cerebral palsy too. He's also clever, deeply curious and has an exceptional memory. His favorite restaurants are the ones on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Karen sounds lovely, just like him.
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Here we have Noir Nazgûl (left), first at the Ford of Bruinen, with a wounded and bizarrely one-eyed Frodo lolling in the foreground.
But they look fairly book- and movie-accurate (albeit a bit stylized) at Minas Tirith (right).
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Did anyone else read this book to absolute pieces as a kid?
The stories were great, like "The Really Ugly Duckling," who grows up to be a really ugly duck, and "Chicken Licken," who thinks the sky is falling but it's actually the book's table of contents.
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And then Hobbiton, complete with the Green Dragon pub, with the universal aesthetic and nostalgia we all know and love.
As well as an adorable one of Sam swimming into the River Anduin after Frodo.
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@hankgreen
16: the age when you recognize how far you’ve come and everyone else recognizes how far you have to go
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Hey brand social managers—what's that other thing you do? Your side hustle, hobby or creative habit.
I'm
@adweek
, but I'm also a children's book author and create multimedia content about etymology.
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To "eavesdrop" is literally to stand under the eaves of a house to listen in at a window—but this word was originally a noun.
This highly scientific diagram shows the "eavesdrop" (Old English yfesdrype), where the eaves keep rainwater from dripping down the sides of a house.
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Nightmare Before Christmas is a story about Jack Skellington discovering brand purpose while ignoring his marketing consultant Sally, who spends the entire film trying to explain authenticity to him until he figures it out for himself
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no, surely not
who could have possibly seen this coming
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So about that Next Thing…
I'm delighted to begin a new chapter today as Brand Comms Director at
@DentsuCRTV
! ✨
After 13 years in media, I'm looking forward to experiencing agency life, and can't wait to explore the ad world from a new perspective.
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@ZekeDaHefe
@David_Leavitt
I hadn’t realized until now that rotties are somehow even cuter in bulk
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@DaksAhoy
@hankgreen
“Good (insert time of day)” was indeed a common choice, and “howdy” is older by a century or two (but not common outside of certain dialects because it’s short for the more common “how do you do?”)
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Today, for the first time ever, I took a straight-up mental health day—not associated with vacation or non-work responsibilities. Took a bike ride, read a book, researched some word origins, did nothing for anyone but myself.
I highly recommend it.
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Can I get a victory screech for my
@Adweek
crew for killing it tonight with
#SuperBowl
coverage?!
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An etymologist, an entomologist and an etiologist walk into a bar.
Etymologist: I'll have a whiskey, from the Gaelic uisge beatha, literally "water of life"
Entomologist: Give me a Campari, which was once dyed with crushed beetles
Etiologist: I'm just wondering how I got here
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Oh hello!
It’s me, JZ.
That etymology dweeb who just got promoted to ✨ Director ✨ of Audience Engagement at
@Adweek
.
Tell me: What does a Director of Audience Engagement do? Wrong answers only.
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therapist: say it
me: i can’t
therapist: you can
me: *deep breath* my typos on social media do not invalidate my expertise or make me a failure
therapist: *foot tapping*
me: … even when the post pops off and a ton of people comment on the error
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has ANYONE gotten good sleep this week? I feel like everyone I've talked to is like "why yes I am also in a semi-conscious fugue state"
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This visualization of the Japanese concept of "Ikigai" could be a helpful tool for adding depth and variation to fictional characters.
#amwriting
(via Reddit, originally from
@torontostar
)
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I’m in my bedroom now, typing this insanely long thread.
The motion-activated lights just switched on outside my bedroom window.
I don’t think those eyes in the darkness belong to deer anymore.
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Thank you to everyone who read, followed, shared and offered kind words about my story.
❓I’ve received several of the same questions, so here’s an FAQ.
NOTE: Do not read this if your favorite part of the story was the realism and you want to keep thinking about it that way.
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Wow, I had no idea this would take off.
Thanks so much for your concern, everyone—I'm still here and as of yet intact, though still pretty freaked out—and the problem isn't exactly solved.
Last night was… interesting.
Fuckfuckfuck.
The most terrifying thing happened to me earlier—I don’t fully understand it, but I am FREAKING the hell out.
Please don’t read on if you're not into scary things.
This is both graphic and frightening.
It's also a pretty long story. 🧵
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The book store strikes back against silly customers. (via Reddit)
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Tried
@ImpossibleFoods
’ new frozen chicken nuggets
Assuming they’re meant to mimic other frozen nuggets, they’re spot on texture-wise and very close flavor-wise
8/10 with one point deducted because they’re not shaped like dinosaurs
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.
@MatttDavies
' cartoons are always on point, but this one from 2015 never seems to lose relevance.
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@lithub
"Should I clarify that one of my direct reports was only part-time?"
"How do I explain that I won an industry award without sounding cocky?"
"Can I include a project I spearheaded if my boss took credit for most of it?"
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Snapchat paying $7 million to play a "not like other girls" card in the social media toxicity arms race while it's laying off 10% of its staff is quite a choice
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@KatyWellhousen
@nytimes
That’s fair, but as a social editor for a media outlet you should know how to adjust a lede for compelling Twitter copy, even if that means rewriting it. If the lede sucks, you send it back to the story’s editor for another pass. Publishers’ social pros are typically editors too.
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Our marketing team actually approved this
SAVE ME
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@jamieloftusHELP
Auntie was the witchy legend we all needed in our lives 💙
Rest in mischief, queen
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@baileymeyers
It helped me to understand that "askance" is a Middle English word that's etymologically similar to the (also Middle English) terms "askew" and "asquint," except with a directional implication in the "skance" component.
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Note: Looks like my German comparison is a little off, but it does also work with several other “question words” and “answers” in German.
But I’m fairly sure it works exactly the same in Dutch, and there are parallels in many other languages!
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News I’ve been sitting on for a bit:
I have finalized an international book deal with
@HachetteUS
’
@johnmurrays
Press for—not one, but TWO ETYMOLOGY BOOKS, to be released in 2023 & 2024.
The first, which I am currently writing, is tentatively titled…
👿🔥 WORDS FROM HELL 🔥😈
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Well that was a damn lucky guess
Wordle 209 2/6
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
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My latest etymology TikTok on collectives of animals (e.g., a pride of lions 🦁 , a flamboyance of flamingos 🦩 , a skulk of foxes 🦊) and why terms like this are a lot older than you might have guessed!
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My doctor recently diagnosed me with onomatopoeia.
It’s exactly what it sounds like.
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"People of color in ads made me racist" is definitely the worst take I've ever read
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@marynmck
@ChuckWendig
"Talk to your doctor." Oh yes, let me just make an appointment for two months from now with a specialist because I don't have a primary care doctor and the nearest office is a) booked up and b) like "you probably shouldn't come in if you have something other than covid."
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BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER
My sister drew me as a velociraptor and it is everything I have ever wanted to be
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@Apostolos9222
@NoContextBrits
They are Greek-derived English words.
Are you suggesting that only Germanic (Anglo-Saxon) words should be included?
If so, that would eliminate more than 60% of the English language.
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Words by Stephen Hawking, a man who used a speech-generating machine to write books and develop theories that changed the world. RIP Mr. Hawking. May your words resonate for all time.
#StephenHawking
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Well, I’m here, obviously.
And it’s… over—more or less.
This will be my final update.
Here’s what happened.
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A while back I found a Reddit thread in which a chef said that if you can’t figure out what’s missing from a dish, try adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
That has been absolutely life-changing advice. Works on soups, meats, salads and nearly anything savory.
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Dubious guidance from your local used book store.
(via Reddit)
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🌟 Next, I’ve accepted a role as Director of Content for
@RaganComms
, which owns PR Daily and Communications Week.
I’m thrilled to bring my engagement chops to Ragan’s exciting range of events, and apply my passion for supercharging storied publishers to their editorial brands.
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