Goatfury Writes

Home
Notes
Archive
About

etymology

Snake Oil
Once upon a time, snake oil really was medicine.
 • 
Andrew Smith
31
Old Wives’ Tales
Writing came about some time in the last few thousand years, but for most of our 300,000 year existence, we’ve passed down knowledge orally.
 • 
Andrew Smith
14
The Value of Value
How do you value your time with your family?
 • 
Andrew Smith
15
Jubilee
The word jubilee traces its origins back to ancient Hebrew.
 • 
Andrew Smith
9
Bridges and Ships
When you think about it, bridges are pretty important.
 • 
Andrew Smith
13
Woodshedding
During the first half of the 20th century, two distinctly American art forms began their rise to prominence, with both ultimately appreciated and…
 • 
Andrew Smith
28
It's a Sign
Ancient Romans used the word signum in a similar manner to the way we use sign today, although their use was much more limited.
 • 
Andrew Smith
9
Bewildering
Bewildering is one of those words you keep in your quiver of vocabulary, perfect for when you want to describe a feeling of complete perplexity.
 • 
Andrew Smith
18
Pins and Needles
Oh great.
 • 
Andrew Smith
26
One Foot in the Phrase
In 1546, John Heywood published a book of English proverbs called A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe…
 • 
Andrew Smith
29
Retronyms
Let’s watch Star Trek!
 • 
Andrew Smith
37
Superpowers and Superpowers
Powers beyond those of mortal men is a mouthful.
 • 
Andrew Smith
12
© 2025 Andrew Smith
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture