Language Lovers

False friends: 7 deceptive English words

As a great actor once said, ‘You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.’ It’s universally acknowledged that English is a tricky language to master – even for native English speakers – thanks to its vast number of rules, illogical language patterns,… Read More

Japanese words in English

Here’s a pub quiz question for you: What’s the only (real) country that is also a verb? Have you got it yet? I’ll put you out of your misery. It’s Japan. Collins English Dictionary defines the verb as ‘to lacquer with japan or any similar varnish’. And ‘japan’ as a… Read More

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi: wonderful Welsh words

The 1st of March is St David’s Day, named for the patron saint of Wales. David (or Dewi in Welsh) was a 6th-century bishop from South-West Wales who was renowned as a preacher and founder of monasteries in ancient Britain and Brittany. Today, St David’s Day is a celebration of… Read More

Gill (Jyl) Francis 1945 – 2024

Gill Francis (she later used the spelling Jyl) was one of the pioneering team who worked on the Collins Cobuild English Dictionary (CCED), published in 1995, and led a small team that compiled the Grammar Pattern series published in 1996 and 1998. In this she was… Read More

Pizza, Pasta, Parole

The ninth of February marks World Pizza Day. A day to celebrate that quintessentially Neapolitan dish which has become, er, quintessentially everywhere, but perhaps particularly in the US, where it sometimes morphs into ‘pizza pie’, and in the UK, where it’s become part of our cosmopolitan – some might say… Read More

The holly and the ivy: wonderful words for Christmas plants

Which plants I wonder, gentle reader, do you associate with Christmas? I strongly suspect several of this week’s Collins Word of the Day will spring to mind. IYAM, certain plants just shout ‘Christmas’, don’t they? Well, perhaps some are a bit shoutier than others. The traditional holly, ivy, mistletoe and… Read More

EXTERMINATE! 7 timey-wimey words for Whovians old and new

Whovians… assemble! It’s a landmark year for fans of the British science fiction show Doctor Who, as the BBC celebrates Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary with some very special episodes. The 60th anniversary celebration has involved three new episodes featuring the much-loved Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant, and his companion… Read More

I’m A Celebrity… Teach Me The Vocab!

An annual staple of British reality television, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! debuted on our screens over 20 years ago and is still going strong. Each year, the TV powers that be ship a completely random group of celebrities – with past highlights including disgraced politicians, footballers,… Read More

The Rugby World Cup and South African language

Well, that was a cliffhanger and a half, wasn’t it? South Africa has been buzzing with elation ever since the Springboks’ historic victory in the RWC final. They took the title for the fourth time, thereby not only repeating their triumph at the 2019 World Cup but also placing themselves… Read More