anti-vaxxer

Randy Alexander strangeguitars at GMAIL.COM
Tue Apr 15 14:12:19 UTC 2014


By that logic, "axes" would be [eiksiz].

I'm going with Ben's haxxor theory.  : )
On Apr 14, 2014 8:46 PM, "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: anti-vaxxer
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Perhaps to indicate that the "a" is short?  Although I am unable to
> say "vayx-er" easily.  (I do prefer the supposition of a parallel
> with "vaccine".  "Vaccer" would be "vakker".)
>
> Joel
>
> At 4/14/2014 04:54 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> >Maybe "anti-vaxer" would look like they opposed vacuuming or something.
> >
> >Also, "XX" looks twice as dangerous.
> >
> >And most people spell "vacuum" with two c's anyway, or did when I was
> >teaching.
> >
> >
> >JL
> >
> >
> >On Mon, Apr 14, 2014 at 2:27 PM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
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> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject:      Re: anti-vaxxer
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Note, too, that "doxing" = 'document tracing'
> > > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxing) is very often spelled "doxxing".
> > >
> > > I suspect the influence of leetspeak
> > > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet), which includes such terms as
> > > "suxxor" and "roxxor", inspired by "hax(x)or".
> > >
> > >
> > > On Mon, Apr 14, 2014 at 1:59 PM, victor steinbok wrote:
> > > >
> > > > The term appears to have started as "anti-vaccer", but eventually got
> > > > converted to "anti-vaxxer". The c was changed to x, presumably
> because
> > > > people didn't know how to pronounce original coinage, but
> reduplication
> > > > remained.
> > > >
> > > > That's my guess, in any case.
> > > >
> > > > On Apr 13, 2014 10:10 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > The Daily Beast:
> > > > >
> > > > > "LYMErix, a promising vaccine for Lyme disease introduced in the
> '90s,
> > > was
> > > > > taken off the market due to pushback from anti-vaxxers (among other
> > > > > groups)."
> > > > >
> > > > > Why two exes?
> > > > >
> > > > > Maybe because it makes the word look cool, like "Exxon."
> > > > >
> > > > > Note too the subdued pun on "limericks."
> > >
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