The Words of the Week - Jan. 26

‘Snub’

Snub was found in many articles and headlines last week, after both the director and the star of a popular movie were not nominated for Oscars.

Oscars Expert Says Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig's Barbie Snubs ‘Will Be Remembered for a Long Time’
— (headline) People, 25 Jan. 2024

A snub in this case is “an act or an instance of treating someone or something with contempt or neglect.” The word comes from the Middle English snibben, and has been in use since the 13th century; its earliest meaning was “to check or stop with a cutting retort.”

‘Birdbrain’

Birdbrain trended in lookups last week, after Donald Trump used this opprobrious term in reference to Nikki Haley.

“Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!” Trump continued, using the nickname “Birdbrain” to refer to Haley.
— Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 24 Jan. 2024

Birdbrain may mean either “a stupid person” or “a scatterbrain.” Although many birds are in fact capable of great cognitive sophistication we have been unfavorably comparing people's brains to avian ones since at least the late 19th century.

The only accidental speck of originality that flashed from his bird-like brain was a tirade against mothers-in-law.
— The Huddersfield (England) Chronicle, 10 Dec. 1877

Her marriage had been indeed an unlucky event for her. She had just left the convent, with a little sentimentality in her frail bird-brain, with that awakening of a heart which beats without rhyme or reason.
— The Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA), 3 Sept. 1882

‘Blacklist’

Blacklist also trended as a result of the increasingly contentious race between Haley and Trump.

‘We don't want them’: Trump threatens to blacklist Haley donors
— (headline) USA Today, 25 Jan.

Blacklist refers to “a list of persons who are disapproved of or are to be punished or boycotted” or “a list of banned or excluded things of disreputable character”; when used as a verb the word simply means “to put on a blacklist.”

‘Haggis’

This week saw the 265th anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns. January 25th is often referred to as Burns Night (or Burns supper), and celebrated by people reading his poem Address to a Haggis. We regret to inform you that after this reading a haggis is eaten.

Rules against exporting haggis to US a ‘scandal’, MP tells Commons
— (headline) Independent (London), 25 Jan. 2024

Haggis, for those who are as yet unacquainted with this offering, is “a traditionally Scottish dish that consists of the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep or a calf minced with suet, onions, oatmeal, and seasonings and boiled in the stomach of the animal.” For those who are interested in poetry we have an article on words that gained popularity by being used by Burns; for those who are interested in more gustatory matters we have an article on foods with unfortunate names.

Words Worth Knowing: ‘Pandiculation’

Our word worth knowing this week is one that might come in handy after getting up from a long winter nap: pandiculation, defined as “a stretching and stiffening especially of the trunk and extremities (as when fatigued and drowsy or after waking from sleep).”