AIDS to Talmud Study

We have recently discussed how the opening Mishnah of Avodah Zarah discussed idolatrous festivals, either as עידיהם with an ayin or אידיהם with an aleph. And, if the latter, it could be a cacophemism, a deliberately derogatory way of referring to it, as a catastrophe.

This is just free association on my part, because of phonological similarity. But, it calls to mind how Rabbi Aryeh Carmell had a book called סייעתא לגמרא, translated into an English title of AIDS TO TALMUD STUDY. Depicted below is the fourth-edition, which was published in 1980.

The first cases in the US of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were reported in 1981. As you might imagine, having a sefer whose name began with an ALL-CAPS sexually transmitted disease was not desired. This is an example of semantic shift, where a word took on a new meaning.

Here is the cover of what I think is the 1998 fifth edition:

The cover art is much nicer, in how it translates each word in the phrase, thus demonstrating how it helps Talmud study. But the new book title is AIDING TALMUD STUDY.