Irregardless Magazine has been offering up stuff and nonsense for the literary mind for exactly 10 years now. And yet, somehow we’ve never covered the etymology of the word irregardless. Was it too meta? Or just a missed opportunity? Regardless, now seems like as good a time as any to correct that mistake. So let’s…
Category: Etymologies and Definitions
The Sweet Satisfaction of ‘The’
The Batman. Hospital. The Ohio State. Facebook. There’s no greater sweetness in life than adding or removing the definite article ‘the’.
Defining ‘Fruits’ and ‘Vegetables’
Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables? Well that depends on how you define fruits and vegetables. And are we talking botanically, culinarily or legally?
Etymology of ‘Santa Claus’
Call him Santa Claus, Sinterklass or St Nicholas, he is a product of many cultures from Turkey to Catholics to the Celts to the Netherlands to New Yorkers.
Etymology of ‘Coronavirus’
Have you ever wondered what coronavirus means and why we call it that? And why do some people call it CoViD-19? Well, actually it’s pretty simple…
Etymology of ‘Factoid’
The Internet’s filled with interesting factoids, but not the ones you think. For example, did you know Norman Mailer coined the word to mean ‘bullshit’?
Etymology of ‘Scuttlebutt’
No, ‘scuttlebutt’ is not that thing your dog keeps doing on the nice carpet. It’s actually an old sailor’s term for ‘gossip’ with a fascinating history.
Chaucer, Birds, Bees and St Valentine’s Day
Ever wonder who St Valentine was and why Chaucer keeps inventing all these damn holidays? It has a little something to do with the birds and bees.
Snow White, Johnny Appleseed and the Fall Equinox
What do Snow White, Johnny Appleseed and HW Fowler have to do with the Autumn Equinox (or ‘Fall’ Equinox as Fowler would prefer it)?
Etymology of ‘Smurf’
What does smurf mean? According to Peyo and Franquin it either means ‘salt’ or ‘stocking’ or whatever the smurf you want it to mean.