Jess Zafarris
@jesszafarris.com
Author of USELESS ETYMOLOGY, WORDS FROM HELL, and ONCE UPON A WORD. Podcaster/cohost, Words Unravelled. Editor-at-Large, Ragan + PR Daily. Adjunct prof at Emerson. Speaker, content director, social pro, ad world wordsmith. https://linktr.ee/JessZafarris
Truly. By September you've forgotten how it nips at you. By February it's a godsend when your knuckles aren't numb and achy within 15 minutes.
February 20, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Truly. By September you've forgotten how it nips at you. By February it's a godsend when your knuckles aren't numb and achy within 15 minutes.
I am about to be in my late 30s so maybe I can embody some of those early perimenopausal hot flashes
February 20, 2026 at 2:06 AM
I am about to be in my late 30s so maybe I can embody some of those early perimenopausal hot flashes
“Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy, come home now and wuther my depths.”
February 19, 2026 at 8:14 PM
“Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy, come home now and wuther my depths.”
That’s 46F! Gimme gimme gimme
February 19, 2026 at 5:16 PM
That’s 46F! Gimme gimme gimme
The snow outside has been there since December 1st 😭
Bring me the sauna
Bring me the sauna
February 19, 2026 at 5:13 PM
The snow outside has been there since December 1st 😭
Bring me the sauna
Bring me the sauna
Haaahaha that’s great
February 19, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Haaahaha that’s great
To be clear, this is clever (but exhaustingly relatable) satire that I still think would stir George for its allusion to newspeak and the like.
February 18, 2026 at 3:03 AM
To be clear, this is clever (but exhaustingly relatable) satire that I still think would stir George for its allusion to newspeak and the like.
They are. It's in a film-analysis-focused sub.
February 18, 2026 at 2:24 AM
They are. It's in a film-analysis-focused sub.
“Petroleum-based penetrating oil and lubricant” just sounds too kinky
February 17, 2026 at 12:26 AM
“Petroleum-based penetrating oil and lubricant” just sounds too kinky
Ah though I was wrong that it’s that recent haha
February 16, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Ah though I was wrong that it’s that recent haha
It was more than 20 years ago, otherwise I’d oblige, but mustache and Charlie’s marriage habits aside, I don’t think the character alone is too controversial. A figure skater dressed as him for a humorous routine at the Olympics (I think) last week.
February 16, 2026 at 8:03 PM
It was more than 20 years ago, otherwise I’d oblige, but mustache and Charlie’s marriage habits aside, I don’t think the character alone is too controversial. A figure skater dressed as him for a humorous routine at the Olympics (I think) last week.
I don’t think it would be bad! I dressed as Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp one year.
February 16, 2026 at 7:57 PM
I don’t think it would be bad! I dressed as Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp one year.
Yes! Originally a trademark owned by BF Goodrich, specifically for the zip fastener on a type of galoshes the company produced.
February 16, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Yes! Originally a trademark owned by BF Goodrich, specifically for the zip fastener on a type of galoshes the company produced.
The amount of conversations with AI that play out like this should dissuade anyone from trusting it for research purposes.
a man in a suit and bow tie is sitting at a desk talking to a woman and says " excellent please give me the file "
ALT: a man in a suit and bow tie is sitting at a desk talking to a woman and says " excellent please give me the file "
media.tenor.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:11 PM
The amount of conversations with AI that play out like this should dissuade anyone from trusting it for research purposes.
I wonder if “Ziploc” will ever go through a genericization to “zip-lock.” Because even when I’m talking about store brand baggies I call them ziploc(k) bags. It’s just a better name for them than any alternative.
February 16, 2026 at 2:07 PM
I wonder if “Ziploc” will ever go through a genericization to “zip-lock.” Because even when I’m talking about store brand baggies I call them ziploc(k) bags. It’s just a better name for them than any alternative.
That's what I was thinking!
February 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM
That's what I was thinking!