Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The assholocracy & monkey butts

Language Log has been on an absolute tear lately.

Post the First:

I had been talking to [my son] Calvin one day about the ghastly crew of obnoxious multi-millionaires who dominate the newspapers, and how they keep threatening to achieve success even in the political arena. Calvin pointed out to me both that we need a new political term for the concept of being ruled by such men, and that there already is such a term. We are living, he observed, in the age of the assholocracy.

Read more about assholocracy

Post the Second:

[Obama advisor] Axelrod wasn't comparing anyone to a monkey's asshole; he spoke in parables, but he appeared to mean that Newt is a rich ethics violator who's done many nasty things, and a member in good standing of the assholocracy, and the press will soon be all over him like a pack of hounds.(*)

More Gingrich is a monkey butt Yeah. I said it.

Most of their writing is about linguistics, language evolution, popular misuse of language and such and sundry. I love it mostly b/c they are absolutely dedicated and passionate about their work -- and (by my judgment) quite good. A feeling of technical fellowship perhaps? Anyway, where else are you likely to see the phrase: sentential overlap portmanteaus. Where?

(*) I do hope so. But really: a pox on all their houses.

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