As the holiday season unfolds, it’s hard not to be swept up in the wave of festive traditions, which is how I found myself mindlessly humming a familiar Christmas tune: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” I’ve heard it countless times — it reverberates through shopping malls, TV commercials, and holiday films all season long — but I’ve never fully understood what the verb “hark” means. As I was curious about the definition of a word I sing every year, I did some digging and discovered that “hark” is not a word sung by angels — it’s an imperative call to action.

When Charles Wesley wrote this hymn in 1739, he used the term “hark” as a command meaning “listen” or “pay attention.” In this context, Wesley is urging listeners to pay attention to the angels’ forthcoming song. This definition has remained consistent for centuries, originating from the Old English word heorcian (meaning “to hearken” or “to listen”). While not commonly used today, “hark” has been used historically as a literary and poetic device to add urgency and drama.

Shakespeare frequently used it to capture the attention of the audience. In “Macbeth,” for instance, an assassin calls out, “Hark, I hear horses” — a dramatic moment that precedes Banquo’s death. Similarly, in “Titus Andronicus,” Titus commands, “Hark, villains, I will grind your bones to dust,” drawing attention to the importance of the moment. In these cases, “hark” heightens the drama and foreshadows important events.

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The evolution of “hark” continued through the 19th century as the term was adopted by hunters who shouted “hark” to their hounds as a command to reorient and pick up a lost scent. From this usage came the modern phrase “hark back,” meaning “to return to a previous point,” as in, “They kept harking back to the decision made during last week’s meeting.” In a more critical context, the verb phrase “hark at” evolved to express disapproval. For instance, “Hark at him. He’s acting like he knows everything!” In this case, “hark at” intends to criticize, akin to saying, “Listen to that!” with an air of judgment. 

Despite its transformation over the last thousand years, at its core, “hark” still means “listen to.” While it’s not often used in everyday conversation, its enduring presence in literature and holiday music encourages us to pay attention to the important things.

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Imagine if the beloved Emmy-winning Nickelodeon cartoon Rugrats were called “Onesomething” instead — it just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Show creator Arlene Klasky considered that alternative title as a play on the popular TV series “Thirtysomething,” but she pivoted to Rugrats after a breakthrough while working from home with her young children. “Rugrats” isn’t necessarily a derogatory term, but she picked it for its edgy tone over a more neutral term, making it a dysphemism. According to Klasky, the playful name was perfect for a cartoon that saw the world through the eyes of mischievous babies.

“Rugrat” has been used since the late 1960s to describe a small child who is still crawling on the carpet. Even when used as a dysphemism, it’s more playful and comical than offensive. However, other dysphemisms are more disparaging. 

As we talked about in a previous edition, a euphemism is a term chosen to soften the intent of an otherwise offensive or crude word choice. A dysphemism performs the opposite role. For example, your father might derisively call a doctor he didn’t like a quack, or you might dread visiting your friend’s dump of an apartment (we don’t recommend saying that to your friend). An old car can be a tin can or a money pit, yet you may need that transportation to get you out to the boondocks or to work in a hellhole. None of these terms are nice, but they are dysphemisms.

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Tracing the ancient origins of the term “dysphemism” supports its modern use. It was derived from the Greek prefix dys-, meaning “bad, abnormal, or difficult,” and phēmē, meaning “speech, voice, or utterance.” While dysphemisms are often blunt and at times offensive, they can add flair, humor, and edge to communication — just be mindful of their potential to offend.

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The humble “OK” became a fixture of the American lexicon thanks to 19th-century newspaper culture and a bit of political savvy from a presidential campaign. Several fads were popular among journalists during this time, particularly playful abbreviations and intentional misspellings. These quirks were meant to amuse — there were no Netflix comedy specials yet, after all — so “no use” turned into “know yuse” and “all right” became “oll wright,” for example. The twisted phrases were also shortened into abbreviations, much to the delight of readers who were in on the bit. So, “know yuse” morphed into “KY” and “oll wright” was “OW.”

Amid this playfulness, “all correct” made its debut. Adding to the eccentricity of 19th-century jargon, words that started with “C” were often swapped out for a “K.” The culmination of these linguistic fads led writers at the Boston Morning Post to transform “oll korrect” (from “all correct”) into “OK” in 1839. This usage might have faded away, as did other faddish abbreviations, were it not for President Martin Van Buren taking up the cause.

During his 1840 reelection campaign, Van Buren ran under the nickname “Old Kinderhook,” a nod to his hometown in New York. As the campaign gained momentum, “OK Clubs” cropped up around the country in support of the candidate, using the slogan “OK is OK” — a play on the original newspaper phrase “oll korrect.” Of course, political rivalry is nothing new, and his opponent William Henry Harrison co-opted the letters into puckish phrases such as “orful katastrophe.” 

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Though Van Buren was ultimately defeated, the catchy slogan cemented “OK” in the public consciousness. After the invention of the telegraph in 1844, “OK” became the go-to abbreviation to confirm message receipt. Today, “OK” remains a cornerstone of communication — who among us can get through a texting conversation without using it (or the ultra-brief “k”) at least once? What began as a joke in a 19th-century Boston newsroom has become an enduring example of the evolution of language.

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On December 8, 1941, during a pivotal moment in World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a speech to Congress and the nation after the Pearl Harbor attack, describing the previous day as “a date which will live in infamy.” Those words were crafted strategically and chosen for the specific definition and weight they would bring to the president’s address, which became known as the “Day of Infamy” speech. “Infamy” refers to a reputation tarnished by shameful or criminal actions; the term relates to “infamous,” which means “having a reputation of the worst kind.”

Here we have the answer to a common conundrum: What’s the difference between “famous” and “infamous”? Imagine how the impact of Roosevelt’s speech would have been curtailed had he used the phrasing “a date which will live in fame.” It carries significantly less punch than the original line, because “fame” and “famous” generally have positive connotations. 

“Famous” describes someone or something widely known, popular, or honored for achievements — your favorite celebrity, a blockbuster film, and a celebrated event are all famous. The adjective is typically used to reference people or things in a positive light. “Infamous,” like “infamy,” describes something or someone that is notoriously bad or criminal. The Joker, Darth Vader, and Hannibal Lecter are infamous for their villainy, not their acclaim. A morally ambiguous, yet charismatic character could also be infamous — Marvel’s Loki is a perfect example with his cunning tricks and flair for betrayal. 

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Both “famous” and “infamous” derive from the Latin word fama, meaning “fame,” but the similarities end there. The confusion often arises with the letters “in.” With words that have a Latin root, sometimes the prefix “in-” means “into” or “toward.” That creates an intensifying effect, as with the words “inflame” and “induce.” Other times, the Latin prefix “in-” means “not,” such as with “inactive,” “incapable,” and “indefinite.” Usually, if a word is negated with the prefix “in-,” the opposite is created: “Inactive” is the opposite of “active.” 

That’s not the case with “famous” and “infamous,” however. An infamous person is famous, but with the limited definition of having a bad reputation. The next time you’re tempted to use “infamous” to describe a renowned celebrity, remember to drop the “in-” — the devil is in the details.

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