Welcome to Litsy!

According to goodreads, I read 17 books last year, which sounds about right, most were nonfiction and two took an inordinate amount of time (I'll make a post about my dislike for reading challenges/targets that focus on counts another day). There are the best and worst (finished) books from last year.

Absolutely fantastic, read this book. Thorough without being dry, hilarious when applicable, informative as hell. Wonderful. Best book this year. Had to buy it when I was halfway through the library copy. (why it took me forever? I fell back into an old fandom and read a couple of hundred thousand words of fic instead of books.)

I really love this book, so don't ask me why I'm reading it at a literal snail pace of approximately one word per day.

"Biblical Hebrew is extremely euphemistic- it often substitutes a an indirect and inoffensive term for one thought to be blunt or offensive. /... / it never says have sex with when a man can know a woman /.. / or sexiest of all, the two can eat bread together. "
I admit laughed at that last bit.

I mentioned planning on reading John McWhorter's 9 Nasty Words on a linguistics discord, and was told to save my time and read this, so here I am.
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I started having ankle pain again a few weeks ago and was pretty wigged out. Had an MRI last week and saw dr today to review it. Bad news is that there are two tears, good is that both look like they involve muscle, which means they'll heal on their own. In the boot again for another 2 weeks.

I think I mentioned the chapter on the development of swearing as in oath-taking already -- that part was great! That was the best bit, but it was all pretty fascinating. Maybe a tiny point taken away for ending quite abruptly.

Oof, wanted to read a ton today, but it's a horribly busy time of year to work on two habit tracking apps!

I did get a good chunk of this read yesterday, though. LOVED the analysis of oath-swearing in the Bible and how even Yahweh swears throughout, and how you can almost chart the progress of monotheism through the Bible via that.

Maybe I can settle down to read some now. My triceratops footstool and dark chocolate ginger biscuits await!

Someone on Pillowfort recommended this when I said I was interested in some more non-fiction... and I need a break from The Bookseller's Tale, which just feels a little too pretentious. So I've got started on this. Not very far in yet, but finding it engaging and well-structured!

NB: She doesn't censor any profanity, including racial slurs. I know some people feel racial slurs should always be censored, so this is worth knowing.

First written appearance of the F-word found in Scottish manuscript. Not from the tagged book.

The Scotsman: https://www.scotsman.com/health/coronavirus/scotlands-claim-fame-birthplace-f-wo...

I did not buy these socks but I kinda wish I had.

Ok, I don‘t know why I didn‘t know this book exists so now I need to read it. The real reason I‘m posting is because I‘m sitting at a bar and one of the group has discovered that there‘s actual #dinoporn videos. When we do the #dinoporn readalong in March I‘m NOT including videos. Sorry to anyone who would like that included. You‘re on your own. Much love!

You know you want my socks! #illgrowupsomeday #sockenvy #sorrynotsorry :)

I just got a huge package in the mail. I may have scared the kids and neighbors by the scream of joy as I picked it up. Thank you thank you!!!! #summersantagoespostal

You can tell I'm having a fun writing day when this is the research book I have closest to hand.

Euphemistic swear words from the Victorian era: Bagpipe: blowjob. Gamauche: Borrowed from the French for "mouth on genitals." Huffle: Oral sex. Tip the velvet: cunnilingus. Victorian words for penis: Arse opener, arse wedge, beard splitter, chinkstopper, Thomas, man Thomas. Vagina: Monosyllable, quim, commodity (what a woman has to offer in the free market). Intercourse: Roger, Have your greens. Bushelbubby: A woman with large breasts.

Connections between sex and violence: Banging, drilling, nailing. The Latin word vagina, in fact, originally referred to the sheath of a sword. This connection between sex and violence was quite literal in the Perusine War. The opposing sides lobbed sling bullets at one another engraved with messages such as "Fulvia's clitoris" and "Octavian sucks cock."

Boxing the Jesuit: Eighteenth century slang for masturbation.

Equivocation: A way to deceive your listener without lying, through the use of double meanings or mental reservation (words thought but not spoken ). "Thank you for the book. I will waste no time reading it."

Mutunus Tutunus: A Roman god who may have been nothing but a giant erect penis, statues of whom brides had to sit on as part of the wedding ceremony. The erect penis symbolized and was supposed to guarantee, fertility.

Picatrix: In Roman times, a young female slave whose job was to arrange her mistress's public hair.

Other times, though, only a swear word or two can accomplish what we need. To put it another way, language is a tool box and swearing is a hammer. You can try to pound a nail into a piece of wood with the handle of your screwdriver, with your wrench, or with your pliers, but it's only your hammer that's perfectly designed for the job.

Great book, not always easy to read on the subway. I've been getting some interesting looks and meeting curious people.