Language Lovers

Tabular iceberg, drill music, and the Strictly Curse: October’s Words in the News

October is the “scary month”, and I have scary news. No, it’s not Brexit. That’s for next year. It’s a weird, rectangular iceberg that NASA has discovered in Antarctica. In other words, an iceberg that looks “made” instead of “naturally formed”. Like some intelligent life form carved it. But so… Read More

Coorie doon: words to cosy up to

It’s that time again: the clocks have just made the (welcome) move back to GMT, the coats and jumpers have been dug out, and the year’s winter wellness trend has made its appearance… Following on from the widely disseminated Danish concept of hygge, and the interest around last year’s… Read More

Meme Ban, Heart Age & Collagin: September’s Words in the News

It’s Two For the Price of One month on the Collins Dictionary blog. Yes, one news story is yielding two new pieces of vocabulary. Lucky me! And not so lucky for anyone who uses the internet to communicate on a regular basis. The European Parliament has voted in favour… Read More

Scallop War, Monkey Dust & Fortnite: August’s Words in the News

It’s not often I get to report Breaking News in this blog, but August ended with a bang, as British and French fisherman came to blows off the coast of Normandy. The cause? Scallops! Though it started with stones, smoke bombs, and farting in one’s general direction, this so-called Scallop… Read More

VAR, planebae & a peng sort: July’s Words in the News

A repeat of The Beast from the East might bring blessed relief to many parts of the country, as the hot topic (no pun intended) this month was definitely #HeatwaveUK. Lush green fields are a thing of the past, as the latest satellite images from space show a burnt… Read More

Are you a football fan visiting Moscow?

Springing immediately to mind at the mention of Moscow is the image of Red Square with the twin features of the imposing historic Kremlin and the shining onion-domed Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed. The citadel of the Kremlin has been inextricably linked to all the most important historical… Read More

Silent letters

To pronounce or not to pronounce, that is the dilemma. English, like some other languages, has a number of letters which are ‘silent’ in certain words. The tricky thing is, knowing which letters can be silent, and learning when they should and should not be pronounced. The main silent letters… Read More

Audrey Brow, Unicorn Farts & Space Grease: June’s Words in the News

Although I’m fluent in German, I first heard the word Schadenfreude (literally “harm-joy”, or the malicious joy one gets from the misfortunes of an enemy) in an episode of The Simpsons, in which Lisa uses it to describe Homer’s glorying in the downfall of their goody-two-shoes neighbour, Ned Flanders. I… Read More

A quick guide to basic Russian lingo!

So, you’re in Russia? And you want to learn a bit of the local lingo? Here’s a very quick guide to the basics in Russian. When meeting up with Russians, a handshake is an appropriate gesture when greeting or leaving. You might want to start with: Hello/Hi Привет [pri-v’et]… Read More