Words matter: thoughts on language and Black History Month

13th Oct 2021

The work of historians is increasingly emphasising something that many in the Black community have known for a long time: the profound influence of Africa and the Caribbean on British culture. Last month, I began a PhD and my research is focused on mahogany in English country houses. Chippendale cabinets… Read More

Spanish word of the week: alegría

13th Oct 2021

This week's Spanish word of the week is 'alegría'. 'Alegría' is a noun that means 'happiness, joy' and you can find out how to pronounce it here: Read More

Blah-blah-blah… 6 unusual words when you’re lost for words

6th Oct 2021

The climate emergency continues to be an urgent challenge for the planet, with a whole wave of new words entering the dictionary to describe its impact and influence, from single-use and plogging to climate strike. Last week, Greta… Read More

Spanish word of the week: esperar

6th Oct 2021

This week's Spanish word of the week is 'esperar'. 'Esperar' is an verb that means 'to wait, to wait for; to expect; to hope. Read More

Celebrate National Poetry Day

29th Sep 2021

This year’s annual National Poetry Day, the thirty-eighth, falls on Thursday 7 October. National Poetry Day (NPD) was founded in 1994 by an arts charity – the Forward Arts Foundation – and has gone from strength to strength, boosting, inter alia, sales of poetry: the graph… Read More

Spanish word of the week: diferente

29th Sep 2021

This week’s Spanish word of the week is 'diferente'. 'Diferente' is an adjective that means 'different; several, various'. Read More

Is the autumn equinox the start of a new season?

22nd Sep 2021

There are just a handful of astronomical events that non-specialists like me know of, and one of them will be upon us very soon: the autumn equinox. On 22 September 2021, day and night will be equal in length across the whole world. How so?… Read More

Spanish word of the week: habitación

22nd Sep 2021

This week’s Spanish word of the week is 'habitación'. 'Habitación' is a noun that means 'room; bedroom'. Read More

Spanish word of the week: disgustado.

15th Sep 2021

This week’s Spanish word of the week is 'disgustado'. 'Disgustado' is an adjective that means 'upset'. Read More