Peter McCullough
@mcculloughp.bsky.social
Things I like, make, or grow; assorted wokery; C16-17th religion, literature, and history. Prof of English, Oxford for just a bit longer. 🏳️🌈
The shag rug is such a perfect period touch for this photo. Looking forward to the book.
As it’s LGBTQ+ History Month I thought I’d share some bits from my new book Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains (out in mid March) just to give a flavour of what was going on beyond the privet…
February 1, 2026 at 12:22 PM
The shag rug is such a perfect period touch for this photo. Looking forward to the book.
Reposted by Peter McCullough
We need this stopped. Plans for far right people to descend on Oxford this weekend to smother us with their flags. We do not want them here. @bradtbaines.bsky.social @oxfordshirecc.bsky.social @oxfordclarion.bsky.social
@thamesvalleypolice.bsky.social
@thamesvalleypolice.bsky.social
January 30, 2026 at 8:52 AM
We need this stopped. Plans for far right people to descend on Oxford this weekend to smother us with their flags. We do not want them here. @bradtbaines.bsky.social @oxfordshirecc.bsky.social @oxfordclarion.bsky.social
@thamesvalleypolice.bsky.social
@thamesvalleypolice.bsky.social
Reposted by Peter McCullough
Self-checkout is evil, and this is why.
Here’s the thing about self checkout. Companies have determined that it is more cost effective to take the loss from theft that automation eases than it is to pay people to work in their stores. When one puts it like that, the quality of the tech or the apparent convenience* are beside the point.+
January 29, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Self-checkout is evil, and this is why.
Hurrah!
I just wished my colleagues ‘Happy First Fascicle Day’ (and urged them to eat a selection of cake et al.)—for #OnThisDay in 1884 the first fascicle of the #OED was published. Do please concelebrate in your own way.
January 29, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Hurrah!
This is such a well-curated thread.
#TodayInQueerHistory
Jan 28 (1901)
Richmond Barthés, an important artist of the Harlem Renaissance, born #OTD.
His sculptures often had homoerotic subtext. He never made his sexuality explicit but dropped hints in interviews. Historians believe he had a relationship with actor Richard Bruce Nugent.
Jan 28 (1901)
Richmond Barthés, an important artist of the Harlem Renaissance, born #OTD.
His sculptures often had homoerotic subtext. He never made his sexuality explicit but dropped hints in interviews. Historians believe he had a relationship with actor Richard Bruce Nugent.
January 28, 2026 at 10:13 PM
This is such a well-curated thread.
Just love seeing this at night. @lincoln.ox.ac.uk chapel (1631; north windows of Old Testament patriarchs and prophets).
January 28, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Just love seeing this at night. @lincoln.ox.ac.uk chapel (1631; north windows of Old Testament patriarchs and prophets).
Nothing like finding an absolute howler of a typo that you’ve been blissfully unaware of for 30 years.
January 27, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Nothing like finding an absolute howler of a typo that you’ve been blissfully unaware of for 30 years.
Reposted by Peter McCullough
fwiw I think the Labour strategy of saying Reform is stuffed full of Tory failures risks making Reform seem much closer to normal & less dangerous than they are. The relationship of the Conservatives to Reform is the relationship of the incubating body to the chestburster xenomorph.
January 26, 2026 at 1:32 PM
fwiw I think the Labour strategy of saying Reform is stuffed full of Tory failures risks making Reform seem much closer to normal & less dangerous than they are. The relationship of the Conservatives to Reform is the relationship of the incubating body to the chestburster xenomorph.
'. . . the important truth that what you had most to do, under the discipline of life, or of death, was really to feel your situation as grave. Boston could help you to that as nothing else could'
(Just love it when Henry James drops in one of his acid jokes.)
(Just love it when Henry James drops in one of his acid jokes.)
January 25, 2026 at 6:47 PM
'. . . the important truth that what you had most to do, under the discipline of life, or of death, was really to feel your situation as grave. Boston could help you to that as nothing else could'
(Just love it when Henry James drops in one of his acid jokes.)
(Just love it when Henry James drops in one of his acid jokes.)
Reposted by Peter McCullough
Damn right.
Zack Polanski has said that Britain should expel US forces from the UK if the country seizes Greenland - a proposal 55% of Britons support
Support: 55%
Oppose: 22%
yougov.co.uk/topics/trave...
Support: 55%
Oppose: 22%
yougov.co.uk/topics/trave...
January 21, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Damn right.
How to make Everything recede for an hour-and-a-half: spend 90 minutes ecstatically discussing a few lines from Milton’s description of Eden with a class.
January 21, 2026 at 12:40 PM
How to make Everything recede for an hour-and-a-half: spend 90 minutes ecstatically discussing a few lines from Milton’s description of Eden with a class.
Reposted by Peter McCullough
Laughing through the tears
"Denmark is irrelevant. You will be assimilated."
a chef in a kitchen with the words borg written on the bottom
ALT: a chef in a kitchen with the words borg written on the bottom
media.tenor.com
January 21, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Laughing through the tears
Reposted by Peter McCullough
January 20, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Reposted by Peter McCullough
The quality of Carney's speech
The poverty of Starmer's yesterday
The poverty of Starmer's yesterday
January 20, 2026 at 6:26 PM
The quality of Carney's speech
The poverty of Starmer's yesterday
The poverty of Starmer's yesterday
Tactfully suppressing the desire to gush and gurn about spotting someone on here who I’ve so missed from the other place.
Will make do with a restrained follow.
Will make do with a restrained follow.
January 19, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Tactfully suppressing the desire to gush and gurn about spotting someone on here who I’ve so missed from the other place.
Will make do with a restrained follow.
Will make do with a restrained follow.
I give you my esteemed (locally and beyond) husband.
The only useful influencer is a "binfluencer". 😅
January 19, 2026 at 5:29 PM
I give you my esteemed (locally and beyond) husband.
Every day I have a new 'this most epitomises the USA that I don't recognise any more'; today it's the utter collapse in acceptable diction for public discourse from elected representatives.
America really is gone and not coming back.
Rep. Andy Ogles on Fox Business: "They're libtards in a blue city ... if the libtards are gonna side with lawlessness, that's on them"
January 19, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Every day I have a new 'this most epitomises the USA that I don't recognise any more'; today it's the utter collapse in acceptable diction for public discourse from elected representatives.
Reposted by Peter McCullough
The FT got is architecture critic Edwin Heathcote to write about data centres and it's wonderful. www.ft.com/content/7692...
January 14, 2026 at 7:09 AM
The FT got is architecture critic Edwin Heathcote to write about data centres and it's wonderful. www.ft.com/content/7692...
The young are so solemnly chaste these days.
To the Restoration literature quiz question (which I was rather proud of), ''In /The Country Wife/, what do the women want to get their hands on in Horner's closet?', they all answered, 'china'.
😱
To the Restoration literature quiz question (which I was rather proud of), ''In /The Country Wife/, what do the women want to get their hands on in Horner's closet?', they all answered, 'china'.
😱
January 19, 2026 at 12:43 PM
The young are so solemnly chaste these days.
To the Restoration literature quiz question (which I was rather proud of), ''In /The Country Wife/, what do the women want to get their hands on in Horner's closet?', they all answered, 'china'.
😱
To the Restoration literature quiz question (which I was rather proud of), ''In /The Country Wife/, what do the women want to get their hands on in Horner's closet?', they all answered, 'china'.
😱
Reposted by Peter McCullough
It's crazy that Bristol had a statute of Colston the enslaver for decades, yet barely anyone knows about this guy. This book by @brisradhis.bsky.social is good at bringing him into the light.
January 19, 2026 at 8:46 AM
It's crazy that Bristol had a statute of Colston the enslaver for decades, yet barely anyone knows about this guy. This book by @brisradhis.bsky.social is good at bringing him into the light.
Well, at least there is this.
Ill by ensample good doth often gayne.
January 17, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Well, at least there is this.
Reposted by Peter McCullough
One of the beauties of writing is that language is so subtle.
You might think that 'I apologise' means the same as 'I'm sorry'. But just try switching the two next time you're at a funeral.
You might think that 'I apologise' means the same as 'I'm sorry'. But just try switching the two next time you're at a funeral.
January 9, 2026 at 12:38 PM
One of the beauties of writing is that language is so subtle.
You might think that 'I apologise' means the same as 'I'm sorry'. But just try switching the two next time you're at a funeral.
You might think that 'I apologise' means the same as 'I'm sorry'. But just try switching the two next time you're at a funeral.
I looked it up so you don't have to; 'A reckless or high-spirited fellow; a gallant, paramour. By Spenser applied also to a promiscuous woman.'
Excellent etymology.
Excellent etymology.
January 14, 2026 at 10:39 AM
I looked it up so you don't have to; 'A reckless or high-spirited fellow; a gallant, paramour. By Spenser applied also to a promiscuous woman.'
Excellent etymology.
Excellent etymology.
Former students can really get you sometimes. A touching piece of textile Donne from @leahveronese.bsky.social . This was Coleridge’s favourite line from Donne’s sermons.
January 14, 2026 at 9:50 AM
Former students can really get you sometimes. A touching piece of textile Donne from @leahveronese.bsky.social . This was Coleridge’s favourite line from Donne’s sermons.