The Volokh Conspiracy

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Ukrainians Calling Russian Invaders "Orcs"

|The Volokh Conspiracy |


Apropos "ruscism," I thought I'd also note this other relatively new usage, seemingly pretty clearly from Tolkien.

Some Googling suggests there are some possible broader connections, e.g., to this Russia/Mordor item, but I can't speak to how common the usage was in the past. But right now it does seem to be a thing (e.g., here, here, and here).

Eugene Volokh is the Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA and a Visiting Fellow (Senior Fellow starting May 2024) at the Hoover Institution (Stanford). Naturally, his posts here (like the opinions of the other bloggers) are his own, and not endorsed by any educational institution.