Language Lovers

We take a look at the etymology behind the word ‘bonanza’ and it’s Spanish origins

11th Jan 2017

A Spanish bonanza To celebrate the launch of our brand-new Unlocking Spanish with Paul Noble we’re looking at commonly used English words that originally came from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. Some of these are words that are still strongly associated with Spanish culture, so it is… Read More

10 weird and wonderful language facts from Paul Noble

11th Jan 2017

1. Learning another language makes your brain function more effectively. Recent studies have shown that it helps increase intelligence, empathy and attention span. It has also been shown to slow down the brain’s ageing process and so reduce the risk of dementia – a good reason to sign… Read More

Brexit, Trump, and celebrity deaths: the perfect storm of 2016’s Words in the News

10th Jan 2017

On 28 December 2016, an independent comedy production company called Friend Dog Studios produced a mock-trailer of the year 2016 as a horror film. Though not everyone will agree, 2016 was a pretty bizarre year on the world stage. At the start of it, David Bowie, Prince, Carrie Fisher, Alan… Read More

‘Beagled’, ‘stagmin’ and ‘judgementality’ – Lucy Mangan’s back with your new word submissions

9th Dec 2016

Sometimes you can feel contributors’ pain in their submissions. This week my heart goes out to Wilhelm81 and Scania143ab, who have sent in stagmin and beagled respectively. Stagmin is the admin associated with organising a stag weekend. I have visions of Wilhelm going quietly… Read More

Etymology Corner – ‘Scrabble’

9th Dec 2016

With the holiday season approaching, it might be a good time to get some board-games out of the cupboard so that the family can while away a winter’s evening in friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition. One of the world’s most popular board-games is Scrabble™. However, Scrabble™ has not always been called… Read More

Toblerone, Melania Trump, and Electoral College: November’s words in the news

1st Dec 2016

On Tuesday, 8 November 2016, the world witnessed an unanticipated disaster of the highest possible magnitude. Toblerone, the beloved triangular chocolate bar, reduced in size to avoid having to raise its price. This caused chocolate bar’s name to show up basically everywhere, from mainstream news headlines all the way to… Read More

‘Crafternoon’, ‘shrinkflation’ and ‘Trumpocene’ – Lucy Mangan’s back with your new word submissions

21st Nov 2016

So, here we are in the very first days of the Trumpocene era. Submitted by AustinAllegro, there are currently many ways to define it, most of which share a certain apocalyptic quality we need not dwell on here. I note with interest and a little gratitude that… Read More

Etymology Corner – ‘Surprise’

10th Nov 2016

The election of Donald J Trump as the forty-fifth president of the United States certainly came as a surprise to many people. But why do we call an event that was not expected to happen a surprise? ‘Surprise’ is one of five common English words… Read More

Collins Word of the Year 2016 Q & A

3rd Nov 2016

What is Collins’ Word of the Year? Collins’ Word of the Year is a word that our lexicographers have identified as having been notably more visible in the last year. It may be a brand new word or an existing one that has seen its popularity increase because of current… Read More