Jesse Sheidlower
@jessesword.com
Lexicographer. The F-Word (new edition Nov. ’24!), sfdictionary.com, ex-OED, coder (mainly Perl and Python), Threesome Tollbooth #cocktail bar manager, adjunct @ Columbia.
Pinned
Jesse Sheidlower
@jessesword.com
· Oct 22
News: the 4th edition of The F-Word is coming out in two weeks from Oxford UP! Everything you could want to know about the word _fuck_.
This is a major revision: 500 pages with 150 new entries, 150 antedatings, & 2,500 new quotations. See link below for more info!
jessesword.com/fword.html
This is a major revision: 500 pages with 150 new entries, 150 antedatings, & 2,500 new quotations. See link below for more info!
jessesword.com/fword.html
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
I can't hope for, ask for, or expect much, but a treat for the new year would be to get to 5000 followers, something I was very close to on Twitter before I walked away from it.
Not that it will make a real difference. But so many things don't. Might as well enjoy them anyway if one can.
Not that it will make a real difference. But so many things don't. Might as well enjoy them anyway if one can.
December 28, 2025 at 3:29 AM
I can't hope for, ask for, or expect much, but a treat for the new year would be to get to 5000 followers, something I was very close to on Twitter before I walked away from it.
Not that it will make a real difference. But so many things don't. Might as well enjoy them anyway if one can.
Not that it will make a real difference. But so many things don't. Might as well enjoy them anyway if one can.
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, soundgarden, pearl jam, or alice in chains
December 28, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, soundgarden, pearl jam, or alice in chains
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
DEVIL: You shall stay forever young, but this picture of you will bear the marks of your sin!
DORIAN: Can I hide it?
DEVIL: Well, yes, but—
DORIAN: And there are no other consequences?
DEVIL: This… This picture will become so foul!
DORIAN: Again, probably I’ll hide the picture.
DORIAN: Can I hide it?
DEVIL: Well, yes, but—
DORIAN: And there are no other consequences?
DEVIL: This… This picture will become so foul!
DORIAN: Again, probably I’ll hide the picture.
July 2, 2023 at 3:01 PM
DEVIL: You shall stay forever young, but this picture of you will bear the marks of your sin!
DORIAN: Can I hide it?
DEVIL: Well, yes, but—
DORIAN: And there are no other consequences?
DEVIL: This… This picture will become so foul!
DORIAN: Again, probably I’ll hide the picture.
DORIAN: Can I hide it?
DEVIL: Well, yes, but—
DORIAN: And there are no other consequences?
DEVIL: This… This picture will become so foul!
DORIAN: Again, probably I’ll hide the picture.
It's less weird than it used to be on Teh Internets, but at least I can still find someone writing in detail about the Edwardian phenomenon of dying from banana-peel accidents.
londonist.substack.com/p/londons-fo...
londonist.substack.com/p/londons-fo...
London's Forgotten Banana Nuisance
Death by banana skin.
londonist.substack.com
December 27, 2025 at 2:46 PM
It's less weird than it used to be on Teh Internets, but at least I can still find someone writing in detail about the Edwardian phenomenon of dying from banana-peel accidents.
londonist.substack.com/p/londons-fo...
londonist.substack.com/p/londons-fo...
I know this is meant to be a "cool" way of writing "land", but I can't help reading it as a lambda, and then wanting to pronounce it with a [ɬ], as if it were a "cool" way of writing Welsh "ll".
December 25, 2025 at 1:24 PM
I know this is meant to be a "cool" way of writing "land", but I can't help reading it as a lambda, and then wanting to pronounce it with a [ɬ], as if it were a "cool" way of writing Welsh "ll".
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
New post, in which I talk about the Old English poem “The Wanderer” and the place of empathy in interpretation.
nikolasgunn.co.uk/2025/12/19/t...
nikolasgunn.co.uk/2025/12/19/t...
The Wanderer
The role of empathy in reading pre-modern literature If you’d prefer, you can listen to this article below The Wanderer was the first piece of Old English literature that really grabbed …
nikolasgunn.co.uk
December 21, 2025 at 8:16 AM
New post, in which I talk about the Old English poem “The Wanderer” and the place of empathy in interpretation.
nikolasgunn.co.uk/2025/12/19/t...
nikolasgunn.co.uk/2025/12/19/t...
Thing I learned today: Thurl Ravenscroft, who was the (uncredited) singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" in _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_, was also the voice of Tony the Tiger in the Frosted Flakes commercials.
Totally makes sense as soon as you know this!
Totally makes sense as soon as you know this!
December 21, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Thing I learned today: Thurl Ravenscroft, who was the (uncredited) singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" in _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_, was also the voice of Tony the Tiger in the Frosted Flakes commercials.
Totally makes sense as soon as you know this!
Totally makes sense as soon as you know this!
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
"Even as the F-word has proliferated on smaller screens, a rule from the 1980s that limits its use in PG-13 movies has endured, influencing the way some filmmakers write, shoot and edit." | cc @stronglang.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The Filthy Word That Filmmakers Swear By (Gift Article)
How directors and writers striving for a PG-13 rating have learned to ration the use of a four-letter obscenity.
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 1:18 AM
"Even as the F-word has proliferated on smaller screens, a rule from the 1980s that limits its use in PG-13 movies has endured, influencing the way some filmmakers write, shoot and edit." | cc @stronglang.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
I was today years old when I learned that the name of Antigua, the island in the Antilles, is pronounced /ænˈtiːɡə/, not /ænˈtiːɡwə/.
December 19, 2025 at 6:44 PM
I was today years old when I learned that the name of Antigua, the island in the Antilles, is pronounced /ænˈtiːɡə/, not /ænˈtiːɡwə/.
Swearing makes you stronger!
Richard Stevens (of the "swearing makes you more resistant to pain" study) is back, with a study showing that swearing helps you release your inhibitions and give it your all.
Attn @stronglang.bsky.social
psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
Richard Stevens (of the "swearing makes you more resistant to pain" study) is back, with a study showing that swearing helps you release your inhibitions and give it your all.
Attn @stronglang.bsky.social
psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
December 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Swearing makes you stronger!
Richard Stevens (of the "swearing makes you more resistant to pain" study) is back, with a study showing that swearing helps you release your inhibitions and give it your all.
Attn @stronglang.bsky.social
psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
Richard Stevens (of the "swearing makes you more resistant to pain" study) is back, with a study showing that swearing helps you release your inhibitions and give it your all.
Attn @stronglang.bsky.social
psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
People who aspire to be academics: I wish to live a life of the mind
Actual academics:
Actual academics:
I have a weird question for the #bird people on here. Do you think someone could tell that a book was pooped on specifically by a sparrowhawk (or perhaps hawks generally) just from the feces? I'm looking at a 16th c. case where witnesses claim books were pooped on specifically by sparrowhawks!
December 18, 2025 at 3:34 PM
People who aspire to be academics: I wish to live a life of the mind
Actual academics:
Actual academics:
This seems to be the 10-year anniversary of my nerdiest Twitter post (which has to be saying something), wherein I bitch-slapped @jonathanhoefler.bsky.social for confusing the heraldic terms "rampant" and "segreant".
December 18, 2025 at 2:16 PM
This seems to be the 10-year anniversary of my nerdiest Twitter post (which has to be saying something), wherein I bitch-slapped @jonathanhoefler.bsky.social for confusing the heraldic terms "rampant" and "segreant".
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
If there is an artist/cartoonist/designer out there in the world of crosswords, I have a potential job for you. A small job (an image for my 2026 thank-you cards), very quick turnaround time (2 weeks). message me or email rexparker at icloud dot com ❤️
December 17, 2025 at 8:56 PM
If there is an artist/cartoonist/designer out there in the world of crosswords, I have a potential job for you. A small job (an image for my 2026 thank-you cards), very quick turnaround time (2 weeks). message me or email rexparker at icloud dot com ❤️
Because we all need a bit of optimism, today's new entry for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction is "solarpunk". Apparently coined in a 2008 blog post; most recent example from @clivethompson.bsky.social. A few more of this sort are in the queue.
sfdictionary.com/view/2916/so...
sfdictionary.com/view/2916/so...
Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction: solarpunk
Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
sfdictionary.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Because we all need a bit of optimism, today's new entry for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction is "solarpunk". Apparently coined in a 2008 blog post; most recent example from @clivethompson.bsky.social. A few more of this sort are in the queue.
sfdictionary.com/view/2916/so...
sfdictionary.com/view/2916/so...
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
Fun fact: 'Deck the Halls' was written in 1862, the exact year in which use of "it's the" overtook "'tis the" in books.
December 14, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Fun fact: 'Deck the Halls' was written in 1862, the exact year in which use of "it's the" overtook "'tis the" in books.
RIP John Varley.
We have a lot of quotations from him in the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction, and he is credited as being the originator of four terms: cryosuspension, cyborg (v.), cyborged, and nearside (n.):
sfdictionary.com/author/59/jo...
We have a lot of quotations from him in the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction, and he is credited as being the originator of four terms: cryosuspension, cyborg (v.), cyborged, and nearside (n.):
sfdictionary.com/author/59/jo...
December 11, 2025 at 5:16 PM
RIP John Varley.
We have a lot of quotations from him in the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction, and he is credited as being the originator of four terms: cryosuspension, cyborg (v.), cyborged, and nearside (n.):
sfdictionary.com/author/59/jo...
We have a lot of quotations from him in the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction, and he is credited as being the originator of four terms: cryosuspension, cyborg (v.), cyborged, and nearside (n.):
sfdictionary.com/author/59/jo...
New entry for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: @greatdismal.bsky.social's "Raygun Gothic". Will be adding other retrofuturistic style terms in the near future.
Would be grateful for any pre-2008 examples _not_ referring to the original story.
sfdictionary.com/view/3043/ra...
Would be grateful for any pre-2008 examples _not_ referring to the original story.
sfdictionary.com/view/3043/ra...
Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction: Raygun Gothic
Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
sfdictionary.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:38 PM
New entry for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: @greatdismal.bsky.social's "Raygun Gothic". Will be adding other retrofuturistic style terms in the near future.
Would be grateful for any pre-2008 examples _not_ referring to the original story.
sfdictionary.com/view/3043/ra...
Would be grateful for any pre-2008 examples _not_ referring to the original story.
sfdictionary.com/view/3043/ra...
At auction: The original art for Neal Stephenson's _Snow Crash_. Estimate $100k–150k. Good luck bidders!
#sciencefiction
www.bonhams.com/auction/3120...
#sciencefiction
www.bonhams.com/auction/3120...
www.bonhams.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:01 PM
At auction: The original art for Neal Stephenson's _Snow Crash_. Estimate $100k–150k. Good luck bidders!
#sciencefiction
www.bonhams.com/auction/3120...
#sciencefiction
www.bonhams.com/auction/3120...
Very excited to be seeing @gweniferraymond.bsky.social perform tonight. One of my favorite guitarists.
December 6, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Very excited to be seeing @gweniferraymond.bsky.social perform tonight. One of my favorite guitarists.
Text from a friend, that I have absolutely no idea how to interpret
December 5, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Text from a friend, that I have absolutely no idea how to interpret
Reposted by Jesse Sheidlower
Support your local college student by treating yourself to some hand-drawn proxies!
All of these were drawn DURING FINALS, giving them that extra special hint of desperation that you just can’t get anywhere else.
Comment/DM to claim, free shipping to US, Venmo preferred, make me an offer!
All of these were drawn DURING FINALS, giving them that extra special hint of desperation that you just can’t get anywhere else.
Comment/DM to claim, free shipping to US, Venmo preferred, make me an offer!
December 4, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Support your local college student by treating yourself to some hand-drawn proxies!
All of these were drawn DURING FINALS, giving them that extra special hint of desperation that you just can’t get anywhere else.
Comment/DM to claim, free shipping to US, Venmo preferred, make me an offer!
All of these were drawn DURING FINALS, giving them that extra special hint of desperation that you just can’t get anywhere else.
Comment/DM to claim, free shipping to US, Venmo preferred, make me an offer!