Will - the Magpie Linguist
@magpielinguist.bsky.social
I post bits of shiny etymological stuff which have caught my attention.
This is Sky, the official Magpie Linguist dog.
Sky would like you to know that the oft-repeated fact that the butterfly used to be known as the flutterby, while charming, is in fact certifiably nonsense.
She would also like you to know that she once ate one and wasn't very impressed.
Sky would like you to know that the oft-repeated fact that the butterfly used to be known as the flutterby, while charming, is in fact certifiably nonsense.
She would also like you to know that she once ate one and wasn't very impressed.
January 29, 2026 at 6:22 PM
This is Sky, the official Magpie Linguist dog.
Sky would like you to know that the oft-repeated fact that the butterfly used to be known as the flutterby, while charming, is in fact certifiably nonsense.
She would also like you to know that she once ate one and wasn't very impressed.
Sky would like you to know that the oft-repeated fact that the butterfly used to be known as the flutterby, while charming, is in fact certifiably nonsense.
She would also like you to know that she once ate one and wasn't very impressed.
Good morning from Magpie HQ. Today I thought I'd do a thread on backronyms. These are words which have evolved as words in their own right, but which humans have come up with (often very pleasing, sometimes trite) things that they supposedly stand for.
Strong language ahead in a couple of examples.
Strong language ahead in a couple of examples.
January 27, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Good morning from Magpie HQ. Today I thought I'd do a thread on backronyms. These are words which have evolved as words in their own right, but which humans have come up with (often very pleasing, sometimes trite) things that they supposedly stand for.
Strong language ahead in a couple of examples.
Strong language ahead in a couple of examples.
Goodness, thanks for all the love and follows as a result of my little thread about Lichfield. I'll try and do them regularly - they won't always be about place names, it's likely just to be anything that steals my attention momentarily. 😊
January 26, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Goodness, thanks for all the love and follows as a result of my little thread about Lichfield. I'll try and do them regularly - they won't always be about place names, it's likely just to be anything that steals my attention momentarily. 😊
This weekend we found ourselves in Lichfield, which has always struck me as an odd name for a place.
January 26, 2026 at 5:23 PM
This weekend we found ourselves in Lichfield, which has always struck me as an odd name for a place.