Stephen Parkes

@colingorrie @monstroso Compelling theory, although perhaps wouldn’t apply to frog. Its German equivalent is frosch so not too much of an etymological stretch in that case.

The word "dog" is something of a mystery. All of English’s relatives have something like "hound": German has "Hund," Dutch has "hond," Swedish has "hund." Yet only English has a word like "dog." In Old English, the word for ‘dog’ was "hund" too, a word which survives in "hound." It's traceable back thousands of years to link up with its cousins in Latin "canis" and Ancient Greek "kýōn." Then, around the year 1050, a different word appears: "docga." It’s clearly the ancestor of "dog." But it has almost no written history before that, and no clear relatives in any other language. Nevertheless, by 1500, "dog" had replaced "hound" as the normal word for the animal. The upstart won: a real "underhound" story. So where did "dog" come from? And why did it spring out of nowhere? Some scholars think it might be a nickname. One clue: "dog" belongs to a cluster of English words that all share an unusual shape. We have "dog," "pig," "stag," "frog," "hog," even "earwig." They're all terms for animals, the kinds of things we might give cute nicknames to… even earwigs. On this theory, these words are like thousand-year-old versions of "doggy" and "piggy." They tend not to show up in Old English texts because they're informal: not the kind of thing monks write about. That's one theory, anyway: we'll probably never know for sure.

Up until this current pair, has there ever been a period in UK parliamentary history when the prevailing PM and the Leader of the Opposition have both had a first name containing four letters, and with the initial letter also being the same? #keirkemi #kemikeir #keir #kemi

I’m calling it now - Jack and James are so obviously brothers… #traitorsuk #Traitors #TraitorsUncloaked

@nickfshort Thanks for the tip! In the meantime, very much looking forward to this… imdb.com/news/ni6538241…...

Just finished listening to this. It's a gripping thriller, brilliantly plotted with well drawn, credible characters set against a convincing historical background. In other words, it's classic Philip Kerr, creator of the unforgettable Bernie Gunther. What a major talent he was.

Has there ever been an episode of @BBCCasualty where there was a scenario in which a TV production crew filming a popular medical drama inadvertently caused an accident or accidents that then became one of the narratives of that episode? #causality #meta #casualty #plotlineideas

@RudoBrandGM Not even the biggest band from Manchester. Joy Division / New Order vastly more influential / seminal (even in the US the Unknown Pleasures album cover artwork is widely known). Oasis are entirely derivative (see film Yesterday for ultimate diss).

Oasis are the actual biggest band of all time. Nobody comes close. The generational reach, the influence on pop culture, spanning 3 decades. The hysteria surrounding their gigs and all of their songs. There is no band ever, who have come close to this and never will again.

@soundstoryuk Shadowplay

On this date in 1979 #JoyDivision released their debut album. What are your essential tracks from 'Unknown Pleasures'?

@nickfshort Regrettably not, although my uncle (her brother) and his son have on several occasions. Am planning on doing the same this year with my brother.

@StephenParkes I'm glad she survived. But what a dreadful experience for her and countless other civilians. Did she ever revisit?

#Breslau in Germany, as was. #Wrocław in Poland, as is. A wonderful European city and one I love to visit.

@EricIdle I was incredibly pleased to pick up a copy of The Rutles album in some small market town a couple of years ago. Truly enthralled when it first came out 5 decades ago - a work of pure comedy genius . “I have always thought in the back of my mind / Cheese and Onions”

I was amazed and surprised and delighted by the number of responses to Rutland Weekend’s 50th Anniversary. It’s the largest response to a post of mine ever. Thank you all so much. I had no idea. I really didn’t.

@marmite Always take a pic of the pristine surface before I start a jar #modernart #artwork

Apparently if you put a jar of Marmite to your ear you can hear the sound of haters crying in the distance.

Just finished reading the really very excellent #MarbleHallMurders by @AnthonyHorowitz - Two mysteries remain. Why wasn’t the fate of one of the main characters clarified in the final chapter and also why did one of the UK marketing team get to be a minor character?

Bit premature from @BBCSport with 3 mins plus added time to play… #RMAARS #RMAvARS

@nickfshort Adds to bucket list…

Just a little reminder of how gorgeous #Tallinn is.

@MANCHESTERMUS10 The Queen is Dead (best album by The Smiths imho)

THIRD ALBUM BATTLE. Which of these third albums gets your vote if you could only have one?

@MANCHESTERMUS10 Closer-Joy Division

FOLLOW UP BATTLE. Which of these second albums gets your vote if you could only have one?

@MANCHESTERMUS10 Stone Roses

DEBUT BATTLE. Which gets your vote if you could only have one?

Interesting the way @TheAthleticFC studiously ignores @SpursOfficial branding guidelines literally beneath their article on Tottenham’s new branding guidelines #Tottenham #Spurs

This is absolutely !nsane man 🤯🏓

@whincupm Ironically, the famous British comic actor, Peter Butterworth, who participated in the actual Wooden Horse escape (as one of the vaulters) was turned down for a role in the 1949 film of the same name depicting the escape, as “he didn’t look convincingly heroic or athletic enough"

"Bravey is just determination to do a job that you know has to be done" #OTD in 1945, Audie Murphy showed the gallantry that would see him awarded the Medal of Honor. He later replayed his war on film, but he wasn't alone in doing that... 🧵 1/11 #WW2 #AudieMurphy