Jonathon Owen
@arrantpedantry.com
Editor • Writer • Linguist • Ironic meta-pedant • Villain • Cat person
Blog: https://www.arrantpedantry.com
Merch: https://arrantpedantry.myspreadshop.com
Blog: https://www.arrantpedantry.com
Merch: https://arrantpedantry.myspreadshop.com
Pinned
Jonathon Owen
@arrantpedantry.com
· Jan 29
Hey, check it out! I've joined the cool kids who use their own domain as their handle. You can now find me at @arrantpedantry.com.
I just saw a Facebook post by one of those random history fact accounts that ended with "Credit to whom it may concern," and . . . no. That is not at all how that works.
January 12, 2026 at 10:56 PM
I just saw a Facebook post by one of those random history fact accounts that ended with "Credit to whom it may concern," and . . . no. That is not at all how that works.
Dear proofreader: Before you mark a certain change consistently throughout a five-hundred-page book, you should probably check to see whether that change is in fact called for by the style guide. #AmEditing
January 12, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Dear proofreader: Before you mark a certain change consistently throughout a five-hundred-page book, you should probably check to see whether that change is in fact called for by the style guide. #AmEditing
I just came across the word "t'other" (usually spelled "tother") in a blog post. It's a pretty uncommon word, and most dictionaries mark it as dialectal, humorous, or archaic (though I'm not sure which dialects use it). If you're like me, you might be most familiar with it from the show Firefly.
January 8, 2026 at 9:52 PM
I just came across the word "t'other" (usually spelled "tother") in a blog post. It's a pretty uncommon word, and most dictionaries mark it as dialectal, humorous, or archaic (though I'm not sure which dialects use it). If you're like me, you might be most familiar with it from the show Firefly.
Can't wait for the inevitable stories about people being hospitalized or dying because AI screwed up their prescription refills. gizmodo.com/utah-becomes...
Utah Becomes First State to Let AI Prescribe Medication
The startup offering the renewals is eyeing nationwide approval.
gizmodo.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Can't wait for the inevitable stories about people being hospitalized or dying because AI screwed up their prescription refills. gizmodo.com/utah-becomes...
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
Oh this thread made me extremely happy and also slightly angry
I have a long-running list of surprising eponyms, and in this dark time I wish to share my amusement with you.
To clarify, an eponym is something named for a person. “Newton’s Laws” are called that for Isaac Newton. A surprising eponym is just that.
So, let’s begin.
Eponyms/0
To clarify, an eponym is something named for a person. “Newton’s Laws” are called that for Isaac Newton. A surprising eponym is just that.
So, let’s begin.
Eponyms/0
January 6, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Oh this thread made me extremely happy and also slightly angry
Writing/editing tip of the day: If you create an acronym or initialism for a phrase that you use a lot (AOIFAPTYUAL) but you then find yourself just writing it out most of the time anyway, that's probably a sign that you should just write it out all the time. #AmEditing
January 6, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Writing/editing tip of the day: If you create an acronym or initialism for a phrase that you use a lot (AOIFAPTYUAL) but you then find yourself just writing it out most of the time anyway, that's probably a sign that you should just write it out all the time. #AmEditing
At this point, the biggest difference between ChatGPT and lawn darts is that lawn darts never encouraged people to throw them at people's heads.
“ChatGPT started coaching Sam on how to take drugs, recover from them and plan further binges. It gave him specific doses of illegal substances, and in one chat, it wrote, ‘Hell yes—let’s go full trippy mode’”
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
A Calif. teen trusted ChatGPT for drug advice. He died from an overdose.
"Who on earth gives that advice?"
www.sfgate.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:28 PM
At this point, the biggest difference between ChatGPT and lawn darts is that lawn darts never encouraged people to throw them at people's heads.
The good news: Scientists have found a way to regrow teeth.
The bad news: They're all AI slop megateeth.
The bad news: They're all AI slop megateeth.
January 5, 2026 at 7:55 PM
The good news: Scientists have found a way to regrow teeth.
The bad news: They're all AI slop megateeth.
The bad news: They're all AI slop megateeth.
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
The headline VS the actual story
December 31, 2025 at 6:59 PM
The headline VS the actual story
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
Merriam Christmas
December 25, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Merriam Christmas
Merry Christmas from Zelda, who is very pleased with her present of an empty box.
December 25, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Merry Christmas from Zelda, who is very pleased with her present of an empty box.
Why did no one ever tell me that eggnog in French is chicken milk?
Inspired by and on the recommendation of @ryannorth.ca , the experiment begins… 👀
December 20, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Why did no one ever tell me that eggnog in French is chicken milk?
What's wrong, Babe? You've barely touched your eggnog puke cake.
December 19, 2025 at 2:23 AM
What's wrong, Babe? You've barely touched your eggnog puke cake.
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
My response to anything over the next two weeks
December 18, 2025 at 6:10 PM
My response to anything over the next two weeks
Hot writing/editing take of the day: When you're doing a find and replace in Word, the Find and Replace dialogue box should *stay in one place* so that you can easily click through all the results. #AmEditing
December 18, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Hot writing/editing take of the day: When you're doing a find and replace in Word, the Find and Replace dialogue box should *stay in one place* so that you can easily click through all the results. #AmEditing
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
You'd better believe that if I worked for @merriam-webster.com I'd be voting for "dictionary" every year too. theonion.com/merriam-webs...
Merriam-Webster Accused Of Bias After ‘Dictionary’ Named Word Of The Year
SPRINGFIELD, MA—Facing intense backlash and scrutiny from critics who say the reference book publisher had failed to take all words into consideration, Merriam-Webster was accused of bias Monday after...
theonion.com
December 15, 2025 at 6:38 PM
You'd better believe that if I worked for @merriam-webster.com I'd be voting for "dictionary" every year too. theonion.com/merriam-webs...
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
December 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
Learned today that “Galápagos” comes from a Spanish word for tortoise, meaning that “Galápagos Tortoise” is,
in fact,
a tortology
in fact,
a tortology
December 13, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Learned today that “Galápagos” comes from a Spanish word for tortoise, meaning that “Galápagos Tortoise” is,
in fact,
a tortology
in fact,
a tortology
I've got the CSI: Miami meme in Scrabble.
December 12, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I've got the CSI: Miami meme in Scrabble.
December 11, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
The most compelling argument for this is that Sam was once a baby raised without ChatGPT, and look how he turned out.
FALLON: “And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"
ALTMAN: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
@moreperfectunion.bsky.social
ALTMAN: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
@moreperfectunion.bsky.social
December 10, 2025 at 2:00 AM
The most compelling argument for this is that Sam was once a baby raised without ChatGPT, and look how he turned out.
Reposted by Jonathon Owen
Nothing worse than signing an email "warm regards" and getting a reply with "warmest regards". Oh, now it's ON.
"kindest regards" alright alright calm down
December 9, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Nothing worse than signing an email "warm regards" and getting a reply with "warmest regards". Oh, now it's ON.
Can you resign from a job you don't lawfully hold? apnews.com/article/alin...
Trump's former lawyer Alina Habba resigning as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey
President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Alina Habba, announced her resignation as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey.
apnews.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Can you resign from a job you don't lawfully hold? apnews.com/article/alin...