Editor's Corner

Good morning! A while back, after I used the word ain’t in an expression, Mark B. asked me about the etymology of the word. Well Mark, I’m finally getting around to giving you a response with a little help from my friends at Dictionary.com.

Although many people consider ain’t to be at best nonstandard and at worst just plain wrong, it has a long and impressive history. And when you look at it alongside other contractions (like isn’t, haven’t, doesn’t, etc.), it’s a little surprising how controversial it is.

The word ain’t is found in historical writing and was used by lords and ladies in Victorian literature. Today, it is a legitimate part of many forms of English, including in Black English (AAVE). Most commonly here in the United States, ain’t stands for am/are/is not or have/has not. Here are some examples:

• I ain’t playing that game.
• They ain’t got any money.

Because it’s considered an informal word, I’m pretty sure you do not use ain’t in your professional writing, but many of you may use itin your everyday speech. I certainly use it now and then. It’s a very versatile contraction that began way back in 1706 as amn’t (a contraction of am not), and then it morphed into ain’t. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, ain’t got it’s bad rap from Charles Dickens, who popularized it in representations of the working class London cockney dialect “…which led to the word being banished entirely from correct English.”

Whether or not it’s considered “correct,” ain’t is widely used in English-speaking countries. There are quite a few common ain’t expressions (from the Dictionary.com article) that we’re all familiar with:

• If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• He ain’t what he used to be.
• You ain’t heard (or seen) nothing yet.
• Say it ain’t so, Joe!
• Ain’t it the truth!

And you Looney Tunes lovers, may remember Bugs Bunny’s famous saying:

I ain’t gonna lie, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Education Resources (sharepoint.com)

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About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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A couple of weeks ago, Donna and I had dinner with our retired coworker, Ron. Ron is one of the few people I know who still read the actual paper copy of the newspaper, and over the years he has provided me (and readers of the Editor’s Corner) with fun columns from Richard Lederer. Well, he gave me a huge set of clippings that he saved, and over the next weeks and months, I will share some of them with you.

Here’s your first article, one about William Spooner. My dad loved to share spoonerisms with us as kids, though most of them aren’t safe for work! Here are some spoonerisms along with an explanation of what they are from Mr. Lederer that shouldn’t get you in trouble. From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

On July 22, 1844, near London, William Archibald Spooner was born with a silver spoonerism in his mouth. He set out to be a bird-watcher but ended up as a word-botcher. He often reversed letters and syllables with unintentional hilarity. For example, … Dr. Spooner entered his church and found a woman sitting in his usual pew. He responded, “Mardon me, padam. You are occupewing my pie. May I sew you to another sheet?”

Dr. Spooner became a distinguished don at Oxford University. But because of his frequent tips of the slung, he became famous for his tough-and-rumble words. These switcheroos have become known as spoonerisms.

The larger the number of words in a language, the greater the likelihood that two or more words will rhyme. Because English possesses more words than any other language, it also possesses more possible spoonerisms. That’s why English is full of thud and blunder. A ghost town becomes a toast gown. A tollbooth becomes a bowl tooth. A bartender becomes a tar bender. With a bit of fudging, motion pictures become potion mixtures, and your local Wal-Mart becomes a Mall Wart.

In honor of Dr. William Archibald Spooner’s whiz and witdom, I present my sprightly poem about English terrors and tinglish errors:

Dr. Spooner’s Animal Act

Welcome, ladies; welcome gents.

Here’s an act that’s so in tents,

An absolute sure-fire parade,

A positive pure-fire charade —

(As you can see, I give free reign

To this metrical refrain.)

With animals all in a row,

I hope that you enjoy the show.

Gallops forth a curried horse,

Trotting through a hurried course.

Watch now how this speeding rider

Holds aloft a reading spider,

Followed by a dragonfly,

As it drains its flagon dry.

Step right up! See this mere bug

Drain the drink from his beer mug.

See a clever, heeding rabbit

Who’s acquired a reading habit,

Sitting on his money bags,

Reading many bunny mags,

Which tickle hard his funny bone,

As he talks on his bunny phone.

He is such a funny beast,

Gobbling down his bunny feast.

Lumbers forth a honey bear,

Fur as soft as bunny hair.

Gaze upon that churning bear

Standing on a burning chair.

Don’t vacillate. An ocelot

Will oscillate a vase a lot.

And — a gift from our Dame Luck —

There waddles in a large lame duck.

Now hops a dilly of a frog

Followed by a frilly dog.

Hear that hoppy frog advise:

“Time’s fun when you’re having flies!”

With animals weak and animals mild,

Creatures meek and creatures wild,

That’s Dr. Spooner’s circus show,

With animals all in a row.

That’s a look at spoonerisms in one swell foop. So let’s close with a special toast. Here’s champagne to our real friends — and real pain to our sham friends! –Richard Lederer

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory

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Good morning! Today I have our middle third of state nicknames and a few pictures for you. I hope you find these as interesting as I do. Each state contains such a cornucopia of delights! These descriptions are from Explore.com.

Massachusetts

• Nickname: Bay State
  Before it was officially nicknamed the Bay State, Massachusetts was the Massachusetts Bay Colony until "bay" was dropped from the name when it entered the Union in 1788. However, the state’s five bays — Massachusetts Bay, Quincy Bay, Narragansett Bay, Razzmatazz Bay, Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay — are still its most defining natural features and offer beauty that only East Coasters know about. [KC – I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I made up Razzmatazz Bay. I’m a big Boston fan, though.]

Michigan

• Nicknames: Wolverine State, Great Lakes State
  One of Michigan’s popular nicknames is the Great Lakes State, which is featured on its commemorative bicentennial quarter. Michigan touches four of the five Great Lakes, making it a great destination for outdoor adventures. Michigan is also known as the Wolverine State, despite not being home to this animal. The nickname’s origins aren’t clear, but one legend goes that during the 1835 Toledo War between Michigan and Ohio, Ohioans described people from Michigan as being as vicious and bloodthirsty as wolverines.
  

Minnesota

• Nicknames: North Star State, Gopher State, Land of 10,000 Lakes
  Minnesota’s state motto is "L’etoile du nord," which is French for "the North Star." This evolved into one of the state’s most popular nicknames, the North Star State. The state also promotes itself as the Land of 10,000 Lakes because of the many, many places to enjoy outdoor water activities on its gorgeous, blue waters.​​​​​​ And the Gopher State nickname dates back to a political cartoon from 1858, the year Minnesota became a state.

Mississippi

• Nickname: Magnolia State
  The magnolia has become synonymous with Mississippi, serving as the official state tree and state flower. Its nickname, "The Magnolia State," appears on Mississippi’s commemorative state quarter released in 2002.
  

Missouri

• Nickname: Show-me State
  Missouri’s nickname, the Show-Me State, is not official, but it’s widely used and has a unique origin story. In an 1899 speech, Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver said: "Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." This became a self-deprecating shorthand for Missouri stubbornness, which can be a somewhat endearing quality until it becomes toxic.

Montana

• Nickname: Treasure State
  Montana’s most popular unofficial nickname is the Treasure State because of its rich mineral resources. Montana’s state motto — "Oro y Plata," Spanish for "gold and silver" — also references this.

Nebraska

• Nicknames: Cornhusker State, Tree Planters State
  While plenty of state schools get their mascot from the state nickname, Nebraska’s situation is the opposite. In 1945, the state adopted the new nickname the Cornhusker State, replacing its previous nickname, the Tree Planters State, in honor of the nickname for the University of Nebraska football team. Corn is one of the state’s major crops and was husked by hand by early settlers, earning Nebraskans the moniker "cornhuskers."
  

Nevada

• Nicknames: Sagebrush State, Silver State, Battle Born State
  While many people are familiar with Las Vegas’ nickname, Sin City, they might not be familiar with the state of Nevada’s nickname. Nevada is known as the Battle Born State because it acquired statehood in the middle of the country’s deadliest conflict, the Civil War. Nevada joined the Union in 1864.

New Hampshire

• Nickname: Granite State
  Despite the fact that less than half of New Hampshire’s bedrock is actually made of granite, it’s earned the nickname the Granite State due to its granite quarrying industry.

New Jersey

• Nickname: Garden State
  Abraham Browning is credited with coining New Jersey’s nickname, the Garden State, at the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition in 1876. He described the state as a barrel full of good things but open at both ends, allowing Pennsylvania and New York to reach in and grab resources. The name evolved to refer to the state’s floral and agricultural produce.
  

I had to include this photo of The Garden State. C’mon people! You managed corn for the Cornhusker State, a magnolia for the Magnolia State, a pelican… You couldn’t find a single garden in New Jersey?

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

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Good morning to my fellow word lovers!

Recently, Donna wrote an article about the typographic mark the pilcrow. While I was reading and clicking through her exposé, I was excited to find another unusual typographic mark that I must share with you: the manicule. Nope, not a manicure, though they are both related to hands. The manicule is a mark that looks like a hand and is used to call your attention to something in the text.

Here are a few examples, though if you check Wikipedia, it will provide you with the Unicode for a variety of manicules and pictures of their modern emoji siblings.

The word manicule comes from the Latin root manicula, meaning "little hand," though it has been called other things through history, my favorite terms being “pointer,” “hand director,” and “bishop’s fist.”

The manicule, like the pilcrow, has been around since the medieval and Renaissance times on manuscripts. The purpose was to point out corrections or notes to the scribes. Here is a true “old school” example from the 15th century, resembling a monk with hotdog fingers:

As handwritten texts gave way to the printing press, you might think that the manicules would be removed, since editing notes and comments weren’t printed in books, but people loved manicules! They remained in books as decorative elements, particularly on title pages.

The manicule heyday was in the 19th century, when they were used on signs, in advertisements, and on mail marked “Return to Sender” from the post office. Manicules were everywhere. During my short stint as a sign maker, we used 19th century graphics for all of our retro advertising and signs (think Trader Joe’s), and manicules were de rigueur.

Some might say their overuse in the 1800s led to their demise, but as I mentioned above, you see a lot of hand emojis flying around today. Their use, however, for pointing out additions, errors, or other edits in text has disappeared.

Maybe the next time I hand edit something, or put a note somewhere, I will reintroduce the manicule! It may look like a blob, but it will keep the conversation going with the writer!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Maybe this is a silly question: Have you ever wondered why paragraphs are indented? I never did, but after my friend Jane G. brought it up and shared a Facebook® post on the subject, I got interested, and the answer is so intriguing.

Nerd alert!

What I learned is that during the Middle Ages, documents were copied by people called scribes, and there were several scribes and several steps involved in the intricate process they followed. Rather than starting a new paragraph to indicate a change in topic, the first scribe left a blank space. When they were finished with their part of the process (copying the document), they handed the document over to specialized scribes called rubricators, who were responsible for embellishing the document. They’re the ones who added an elaborate ornamental (often bright red) symbol in the blank space. The symbol they used was a precursor to the pilcrow symbol that is still used today (¶) to indicate a paragraph—although now the pilcrow is mostly relegated to editors and writing instructors.

What appears to have happened is that the rubricators sometimes ran out of time during the embellishment phase, which left empty spaces where the pilcrow symbols were intended to be placed. The problem grew worse with the advent of the printing press. Demand grew for printed material, and rubricators just couldn’t keep up.

Eventually, the empty space rather than the pilcrow marked a new paragraph. And now, as you can see in my formatting of this email, the space at the beginning of each paragraph is sometimes a line space rather than an indentation.

If you’re a nerd of enormous proportions, like me and Jane G., and you want to know more about this topic, read The Origin of the Pilcrow, aka the Strange Paragraph Symbol or watch Abraham Piper’s Facebook post.

Example of text with embellishment

Another example—note the shape of the pilcrow.

I hope you enjoyed this trip down medieval lane.

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Education Resources (sharepoint.com)

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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Today I’m going to take a break from state nicknames and talk about flowers. 😊

Did spring already come and go? June is here and the sun is still reluctant to come out in San Diego, but when I walk through the neighborhood, I smell jasmine, Natal plums, and orchid trees.

Merriam-Webster also informed me that spring (almost summer!) is here when they published these etymologies of flowers. Here is a selection of them and a couple of photos for you, but if you’d like the full bouquet, it is here: flower etymologies.

Dandelion

Though widely considered a pesky weed, the name dandelion has a majestic meaning: it comes from Anglo-French dent de lion which literally means "lion’s tooth" because of the toothed shape of the ends of its petals.

Pansy

The name for this delicate flower is deeper than it seems: the word pansy is related to the word pensive. It comes from Middle French pensée meaning "thought," from the past participle of penser "to think," and ultimately from Latin pensare "to ponder."

Azalea

Borrowed from Greek azaléā, the feminine of azaléos, azalea means literally "dry, parched, withered." Apparently this flowering shrub was given its name because of its ability to thrive in a dry climate.

Daisy

Daisy is from Old English dægesēage, from dæg meaning "day" and ēage meaning "eye." This is because the flower opens or "wakes" in the morning and closes or "sleeps" at night. The ray-like appearance of the daisy as it wakes and sleeps with the sun reminds one of an eye that opens in the morning and closes at night.

Hydrangea

The hydrangea, a popular flowering shrub, gets its name not from the shape of its flowers or leaves, but from the shape of its seed pods: from Greek hydr- meaning "water" and angeîon meaning "vessel, container," the name refers to the cup-like capsules that hold its seeds.

Iris

The word iris is borrowed from Latin īrid-, īris "rainbow," borrowed from Greek meaning "rainbow, iridescent halo around the moon." The etymology of this word is for both the flower and the colored part of the eye.

Tulip

The name of the cup-shaped tulip comes from the Turkish word tülbent which means "turban." The flower got its name from the resemblance of its overlapping petals to the folds of fabric in a turban, a headdress worn chiefly in countries of the eastern Mediterranean and southern Asia.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good morning, readers. It’s time for another tour of ten states and what their nicknames are. Some of these surprised me, like Idaho. Next time I’m in Washington state, I may have to take a trip over to check out the gems! From Explore:

Hawaii

• Nicknames: Aloha State, Pineapple State, Youngest State
  Sometimes referred to as the Pineapple State for its iconic produce or the Youngest State because it was the last to join the Union, Hawaii’s official "popular name" (Aloha State) was adopted in 1959, the same year it became a state. Hawaii picked the nickname the Aloha State in reference to the hospitality and culture of native Hawaiians.
  

Idaho

• Nickname: Gem State
  Mining lobbyist George M. Willing proposed the made-up name "Idaho" as the name for what is now Colorado, claiming the word was an Indian name that meant "Gem of the Mountains." While Congress went with another name for Colorado after learning the name was nonsense, it came into popular use for towns and landmarks like the newly discovered Idaho Mines. The territory was named Idaho due to its large deposits of gold, silver, gems, and minerals.

Illinois

• Nickname: Prairie State
  While Illinois doesn’t have an official state nickname, it does have an official prairie grass and a designated Illinois Prairie Week, living up to its popular nickname of the Prairie State. Illinois is perhaps more famous for its official state slogan: "The Land of Lincoln."

Indiana

• Nickname: Hoosier State
  The Hoosier State is the official nickname of Indiana, and a person from Indiana is known as a Hoosier. There are many theories on the origin of the term but no definite answers, though it can be traced back to the early 1830s. Among the theories are a popular greeting to an unexpected knock on the door with "Who’s yere?" turning into Hoosier, and the nickname of Indiana rivermen being "husher" transforming into Hoosier. The Hoosier is also the mascot for Indiana University, a college that is known for its school spirit.

Iowa

• Nickname: Hawkeye State
  Iowa was ahead of the curve when it came to a state nickname, adopting one eight years before it even became a state. Two men from Burlington are credited with popularizing the nickname the Hawkeye State based on a character in the popular book "The Last of the Mohicans." Despite having a bird-like name and being the University of Iowa mascot, a Hawkeye isn’t a real bird. Iowa’s state bird is actually the eastern goldfinch, also known as the American goldfinch.
  

Kansas

• Nicknames: Sunflower State
  The cheerful sunflower is the official state flower of Kansas. It appears on the state flag and crops up in rolling fields of blooming wildflowers throughout the state, inspiring Kansas’ most popular nickname, the Sunflower State.

Kentucky

• Nickname: Bluegrass State
  The most common nickname for Kentucky references its famed tall grass with a blue cast. Though bluegrass is actually green, in the spring, it produces blue buds that make fields of the grass seem blue-tinged from afar. Bluegrass is a genre that was declared Kentucky’s official state music, along with its other state symbols, including its famous official state foods. [KC – Um, I don’t think bourbon classifies as “food.”]
  

Louisiana

• Nickname: Pelican State
  Louisiana is so proud of its distinctive brown pelican that it put the bird on the state flag, seal, and U.S. mint bicentennial quarter.

Maine

• Nickname: Pine Tree State
  Some of the most enchanting forests in the country grow in Maine, and this claim to fame has inspired many emblems of Maine. The state nickname is the Pine Tree State, and a pine tree is featured on Maine’s flag, seal and in the background of the state quarter. The white pine is the state tree, and the white pinecone and tassel is the state flower of Maine.
  

Maryland

• Nicknames: Old Line State
  The exact origins of Maryland’s nickname, the Old Line State, have been muddled over the centuries, though one widely accepted story is that the "old line" was a term of affection bestowed by General George Washington to the state’s line troops who courageously served in the Revolutionary War.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Hello, all!

Last year I did a series of Editor’s Corner articles about state names and where they came from. Here’s the first one: State Names. I’m not sure what I was looking at recently, but I found another page about state nicknames, that they described as “funky.” Well, I disagree that these are funky, but I might have a high funk factor.

These are not all of the nicknames. Some have been put aside because they were, well, offensive. I’m going to do ten states at a time, and just concentrate on the nicknames and their stories. I’ve trimmed a bit here and there, but I’m including the website link.

From Explore:

Alabama

• Nicknames: The Heart of Dixie, Yellowhammer State, The Cotton State

Alabama doesn’t have an official nickname, but it got the nickname "the Yellowhammer State" during the Civil War. A company of Alabama soldiers wore uniforms trimmed with yellow, which earned them comparisons with the yellowhammer bird, which has bright yellow feathers underneath its wings and tail. Also known as a flicker woodpecker, the yellowhammer is the state bird of Alabama.

Alaska

• Nicknames: The Last Frontier, Land of the Midnight Sun
  Alaska’s official nickname is the Last Frontier. It is the least densely populated of the U.S. states and draws adventurous visitors eager to explore its wild, breathtaking landscapes.

Arizona

• Nickname: Grand Canyon State
  One of America’s world-famous landmarks is the Grand Canyon, located in northern Arizona. The state has embraced its iconic natural wonder and adopted the Grand Canyon State as its official nickname.

Arkansas

• Nickname: The Natural State
  Arkansas officially adopted the nickname the Natural State in 1995 to celebrate the state’s stunning natural scenery. Prior to that, Arkansas had two different official nicknames: the Wonder State from 1923 to 1947 and the Land of Opportunity from 1947 to 1995. [KC – My natural state is not exactly something you’d take a photo of for stunning scenery!]

California

• Nickname: Golden State
  One of the first nicknames for California was the Eldorado State, inspired by the legendary city of gold. Once gold was discovered there, California became synonymous with gold mining. The state is also known for its beautiful flowers, including the golden yellow poppies that bloom there each spring.
  

Colorado

• Nickname: Centennial State
  A fun fact that history buffs might know is that Colorado is nicknamed the Centennial State because it joined the Union in 1876, 100 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

Connecticut

• Nickname: Constitution State
  Connecticut’s official nickname is the Constitution State, even though Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Instead, the state claims to have the first written constitution in U.S. history with the state’s founding document, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, written in 1639. It is also sometimes called the Nutmeg State.

Delaware

• Nicknames: First State, Diamond State, Small Wonder
  Delaware doesn’t let Connecticut hog the history spotlight, as its nickname references the fact that it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Florida

• Nickname: Sunshine State
  The Sunshine State was adopted as Florida’s official nickname in 1970. The state has a toasty tropical and subtropical climate and an average 230 days of sunshine a year, making it a popular beach destination

Georgia

• Nicknames: Peach State, Empire State of the South
  Georgia’s most popular nickname is the Peach State, in reference to its official state fruit and the importance of the produce to the state’s agricultural economy.
  

So, there you have the first ten! I hope you learned something new!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

I was just hunting around for something interesting (some might call that “surfing the net”) and I saw an article called “Ten Awesome Historical Words We Should Bring Back.” Sometimes these sites are just a little stuffy for me, but after seeing a couple of the words, I thought they were worth our attention. I was familiar with a couple of them, but the rest were nice surprises. Here they are for your learning pleasure:

fudgel

Definition: To “fudgel” means pretending to work without actually accomplishing anything.
Example: “Gilbert spent Friday afternoon fudgeling at his desk, while counting down the hours until the weekend.”

grufeling

Definition: Often used in ridicule, to be “grufeling” is to wrap yourself up and lie down comfortably.
Example: “Want to Netflix and grufel tonight?”

callipygian

Definition: “Callipygian” is an antiquated, and maybe more polite, way of saying someone has a nice “rear end.”
Example: “That callipygian woman seems to have inspired a sudden interest in fitness and wellbeing.”

lanspresado

Definition: A “lanspresado” is someone who conveniently shows up without any money.
Example: “There’s no excuse for lanspresados, now that everyone has a credit card.”

[KC – This sounds like a mansplaining desperado.]

pannychis

Definition: The word might not sound like fun, but “pannychis” is defined as an all-night feast or ceremony.
Example: “What a wild pannychis last night! Let’s do it again next weekend!”

philogrobilized

Definition: “Philogrobilized” is how people used to describe a hangover without admitting to having been drinking.
Example: “I’m not hungover. I’m just philogrobilized.”

expergefactor

Definition: “Expergefactor” is a complicated, catch-all term to describe anything that wakes you up.
Example: “Sorry I’m late, my expergefactor (alarm clock) didn’t go off this morning."

frobly-mobly

Definition: “Frobly-mobly” means exactly how it sounds: so-so, feeling neither well nor unwell. [KC – There are many phrases like this in different languages, and the meaning is the same: so so. Some examples: así así (Spanish), comme ci comme ça (French), έτσι κι έτσι (Greek, which sounds like “etsi-ketsi”). Let me know if there are others!]

Example: “At best, Dave was feeling frobly-mobly that morning. Then, he had a coffee.”

twattling

Definition: “Twattling” is another word for idle gossip.
Example: “Their texts showed a record of twattling that went back several weeks.”

kakistocracy

Definition: “Kakistocracy” is a forgotten word that describes an unqualified and incompetent government.
Example: “Our reliable system of checks and balances will prevent a kakistocracy.”

Note: I did look up some of the words so I could help with pronunciation, but I was sent to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and I don’t have a subscription, so they wouldn’t let me in. I checked to see if I should subscribe, but at $100 a year that’s more of an investment. We’ll just have to guess at how they would’ve pronounced pannychis five hundred years ago.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good morning, dear people. One of my favorite newsletters is called A.Word.A.Day by a fellow named Anu Garg. He picks a theme and then each day of the week elaborates on the words he’s chosen. Well, a week or so ago, he chose “mail.” Here’s how he introduced the topic:

…There are many kinds of mails:

• Email and postal mail, from Old French malle (bag)
• Chain mail, an armor made of interlinked rings, from Old French maile (loop)
• Blackmail, from Middle English male (rent or tribute)

These three types of mails are homonyms—they have the same spelling and pronunciation—but they are distinct words with distinct origins.

I happen to have a thing for chain mail, maybe because my brother was a metal worker and artist, maybe because I love knights and castles. Whatever it is, I’d like to share bits and pieces of Anu’s articles (and the words and origins about mail) with you. Oh, and I’d also like to reveal this aluminum chain mail armor (only $200 on eBay):

snail mail
noun: The physical delivery of letters and other material. Also, a piece of such mail.
verb tr., intr.: To send a letter or other material by the postal system.

From snail, known for its sluggishness, from Old English snægl + mail, from Old French malle (bag). Earliest documented use: 1929.

greenmail

noun: The practice of buying a large quantity of a company’s stock as a means of hostile takeover, then selling it back to the company at a higher price.
verb tr.: To subject a company to this tactic.

From green (money), from greenback (US currency note, from the color of its printing) + mail (as in blackmail), from Middle English male (rent or tribute), from Old English mal (agreement, pay), from Old Norse mal (agreement). Earliest documented use: 1983.

postal

adjective:
1. Relating to the mail or the post office.
2. Very angry, insane, or violent.

From French poste, from the posting of horse riders at intervals to transport letters along a route. Earliest documented use: sense 1: 1842, sense 2: 1993.

In the 1980s and 1990s, a series of unconnected shootings by disgruntled workers of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) led to the phrase “going postal.” This term highlights extreme anger or violence, gaining prominence despite the homicide rate at USPS being only a fraction of that in the general workplace. With over half a million employees at the USPS, these incidents notably stood out.

mailed fist

noun: A threat or show of force to maintain control.

[KC – I was expecting something like “Backpfeifengesicht —
a face that’s badly in need of a fist.”]

Translation of German gepanzerte Faust (mailed fist), from Panzer (armor) + Faust (fist). The word mail here is an armor made of interlinked rings, as in chain mail, from Old French maile (loop). Earliest documented use: 1897.]

[KC – There is actually a modern day use for this: cleaning meat slicers. Do they supply these in most delis? No. Should they? Definitely! I was
cleaning a slicer once, and we used our bare hands, a sponge, and usually the floor was wet. I nicked a vein and, well, I didn’t finish my shift that night. In another deli, we had these chain mail gloves, and they were amazing.]

graymail

Formed on the pattern of blackmail, using “gray” to denote something that is indeterminate or falls into a “gray area”. The word mail here (as in blackmail) is from Middle English male (rent or tribute), from Old English mail (agreement, pay), from Old Norse mal (agreement). Earliest documented use: 1978.

Thanks for joining me to learn about all of the different types of mail there are!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/