Tony Thorne
@tonythorne007.bsky.social
Slang, new language, etymology, cultural history. Language Consultant at King's College London.
I’m not venting futile outrage about the legality of the US actions. I know Caracas and I’m wondering how many people were hurt in the bombardment?
January 3, 2026 at 5:30 PM
I’m not venting futile outrage about the legality of the US actions. I know Caracas and I’m wondering how many people were hurt in the bombardment?
I’m adding ‘negotiated exit’ to the glossary of toxic terminology this morning
A negotiated exit!
Completely unprovoked, Trump has directed US forces to bomb a foreign nation and kidnap its leader, without any legal justification.
The euphemisms are going to be off the charts.
Completely unprovoked, Trump has directed US forces to bomb a foreign nation and kidnap its leader, without any legal justification.
The euphemisms are going to be off the charts.
Sky News quotes sources within the Venezuelan opposition claiming that Maduro's capture was a "negotiated exit"
news.sky.com/story/venezu...
news.sky.com/story/venezu...
January 3, 2026 at 10:36 AM
I’m adding ‘negotiated exit’ to the glossary of toxic terminology this morning
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Syllabus idea request - best *book chapters* on migration and immigration, accessible to undergrads, focused on the last few years? Self-promotion encouraged.
January 2, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Syllabus idea request - best *book chapters* on migration and immigration, accessible to undergrads, focused on the last few years? Self-promotion encouraged.
‘Unreliable’…now they tell us
Ditch Brexit divisions and forge closer EU ties as Trump
'unreliable", says TUC leader - The ridiculous Starmer red lines are well past their sell by date!
'unreliable", says TUC leader - The ridiculous Starmer red lines are well past their sell by date!
January 2, 2026 at 8:16 PM
‘Unreliable’…now they tell us
Reposted by Tony Thorne
The experts....in the Mail...https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15428459/slang-words-phrases-linguists-BANISHED-2026.html
Revealed: The slang words experts are calling to be BANISHED in 2026
Experts from Lake Superior State University have released their 50th Banished Words List.
www.dailymail.co.uk
January 2, 2026 at 11:32 AM
The experts....in the Mail...https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15428459/slang-words-phrases-linguists-BANISHED-2026.html
Reposted by Tony Thorne
This is good! www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Rage bait, goblin mode … do words of the year have any real value?
Analysis shows obscure and barely used choices, drawn from online slang, do not stand the test of time
www.theguardian.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:42 AM
This is good! www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Have a read and then have a listen to the episode we did on the rise of the WOTY as a 'thing' in the recent @lexispodcast.bsky.social episode with @mashedradish.bsky.social to compare notes. open.spotify.com/episode/5mJW...
Episode 78 - John Kelly and the 2025 Words of the Year
open.spotify.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:42 AM
Have a read and then have a listen to the episode we did on the rise of the WOTY as a 'thing' in the recent @lexispodcast.bsky.social episode with @mashedradish.bsky.social to compare notes. open.spotify.com/episode/5mJW...
Reposted by Tony Thorne
If you know a high school student interested in language and/or puzzles, tell 'em about the linguistics olympiads, there are lots of national versions in many countries plus an international competition!
The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is an annual international competition that brings together secondary school students and experts from various fields of linguistics.
January 1, 2026 at 8:39 PM
If you know a high school student interested in language and/or puzzles, tell 'em about the linguistics olympiads, there are lots of national versions in many countries plus an international competition!
How to talk dating like gen Z: 51 (hyperspecific) terms for love, sex and bad behavior
January 1, 2026 at 8:48 PM
How to talk dating like gen Z: 51 (hyperspecific) terms for love, sex and bad behavior
Reposted by Tony Thorne
'Like' is one of those words we hear everywhere. It slips into sentences almost unnoticed, appearing in all kinds of informal conversations.
The question is, why is it used so often?
https://aboutlinguistics.com/explore/why-we-say-like-so-much-when-we-speak/
#linguistics #language #like #funfact
The question is, why is it used so often?
https://aboutlinguistics.com/explore/why-we-say-like-so-much-when-we-speak/
#linguistics #language #like #funfact
Why We Say 'Like' So Much When We Speak
Discover the five conversational jobs the word "like" performs and how social contagion keeps it in our speech.
aboutlinguistics.com
January 1, 2026 at 7:31 PM
'Like' is one of those words we hear everywhere. It slips into sentences almost unnoticed, appearing in all kinds of informal conversations.
The question is, why is it used so often?
https://aboutlinguistics.com/explore/why-we-say-like-so-much-when-we-speak/
#linguistics #language #like #funfact
The question is, why is it used so often?
https://aboutlinguistics.com/explore/why-we-say-like-so-much-when-we-speak/
#linguistics #language #like #funfact
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Netherlands joins the 'Universities Shooting Themselves In the Foot to Placate Populists' Club.
Utrecht University abolishes its English language bachelor's program in economics and replaces it with a Dutch one.
They told staff (~30% international) the week before Christmas. Layoffs seem likely now. Unwarranted lobotomy is the only word I can find for it...
dub.uu.nl/en/news/econ...
They told staff (~30% international) the week before Christmas. Layoffs seem likely now. Unwarranted lobotomy is the only word I can find for it...
dub.uu.nl/en/news/econ...
Economics programme in shock after sudden cancellation of English-taught track
The Bachelor's programme in Economics & Business Economics will only be offered in Dutch from 2029 onwards, the Executive Board announced on Tuesday. The news came as a complete surprise to the econom...
dub.uu.nl
January 1, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Netherlands joins the 'Universities Shooting Themselves In the Foot to Placate Populists' Club.
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Latin had six noun cases, but in all Romance languages except Romanian, nouns and adjectives only have one singular form and one plural form left. What happened?
This extra large infographic tells you how the Latin case system collapsed – and why it's the accusative case that lives on in Romance.
This extra large infographic tells you how the Latin case system collapsed – and why it's the accusative case that lives on in Romance.
January 1, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Latin had six noun cases, but in all Romance languages except Romanian, nouns and adjectives only have one singular form and one plural form left. What happened?
This extra large infographic tells you how the Latin case system collapsed – and why it's the accusative case that lives on in Romance.
This extra large infographic tells you how the Latin case system collapsed – and why it's the accusative case that lives on in Romance.
2026. Not a bad year, but it’s beginning to drag a bit…
January 1, 2026 at 4:17 PM
2026. Not a bad year, but it’s beginning to drag a bit…
Reposted by Tony Thorne
ICYMI: EMC's Dan Clayton explores the troubling accent prejudice that is still alive and well and how teachers are affected by it, but also, crucially, the importance of raising critical language awareness to try to address it.
Read here: buff.ly/GEATzEg
Read here: buff.ly/GEATzEg
January 1, 2026 at 12:30 PM
ICYMI: EMC's Dan Clayton explores the troubling accent prejudice that is still alive and well and how teachers are affected by it, but also, crucially, the importance of raising critical language awareness to try to address it.
Read here: buff.ly/GEATzEg
Read here: buff.ly/GEATzEg
So far, so good...
January 1, 2026 at 10:30 AM
So far, so good...
Happy New Year everyone!
December 31, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Happy New Year everyone!
The Internet is Over
open.substack.com/pub/id/p/the...
open.substack.com/pub/id/p/the...
The Internet is Over
It was fun while it lasted!
open.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:19 PM
The Internet is Over
open.substack.com/pub/id/p/the...
open.substack.com/pub/id/p/the...
Reposted by Tony Thorne
I’ve done essays on the U.K. for the Annual Register every year since 2011 but I gave up for 2025. It was just so bad and I couldn’t see a way to get the wry, dispassionate tone about it, and the scoundrels who have flourished during it, that I’ve managed for 14 years.
Well all the news seems depressing today and all the end of year roundups just emphasise what a grim trudge 2025 has been.
December 31, 2025 at 2:06 PM
I’ve done essays on the U.K. for the Annual Register every year since 2011 but I gave up for 2025. It was just so bad and I couldn’t see a way to get the wry, dispassionate tone about it, and the scoundrels who have flourished during it, that I’ve managed for 14 years.
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Our @yougov.co.uk data journalism extraordinaire Matt Smith has compiled all news tracker results from 2025 into this stunning graphic
This tells us so much about what 'cuts through', how news cycles evolve, and what grabs attention re: flash moments vs ongoing stories
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
This tells us so much about what 'cuts through', how news cycles evolve, and what grabs attention re: flash moments vs ongoing stories
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
December 31, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Our @yougov.co.uk data journalism extraordinaire Matt Smith has compiled all news tracker results from 2025 into this stunning graphic
This tells us so much about what 'cuts through', how news cycles evolve, and what grabs attention re: flash moments vs ongoing stories
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
This tells us so much about what 'cuts through', how news cycles evolve, and what grabs attention re: flash moments vs ongoing stories
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
Mais capitaine!!!!
December 31, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Mais capitaine!!!!
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Adding "childcuterie board" to my vocabulary forthwith!
Made a childcuterie board for dinner which was demolished swiftly.
December 31, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Adding "childcuterie board" to my vocabulary forthwith!
That’s all folks…
December 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM
That’s all folks…