Language Lovers

Etymology Corner – ‘Binge-Watch’

To celebrate Collins Word of the Year 2015, we explore the etymology of ‘binge-watch’.   There was a time when the fans of a television programme would experience a sense of gloom when the closing credits rolled, knowing that they had to wait for a full week until the next… Read More

‘Binge-watch’ – Collins Word of the Year 2015

“Just one more”. Something we’ve all said at some point this year while sat in front of the TV, and we’re not talking about glasses of wine. Thanks to some tortuous cliff-hangers, puzzling ‘who-done-its’ and another rainy British summer – ‘Binge-watch’ has been revealed as the 2015 Collins Word of… Read More

Top 10 Collins Words of the Year

‘Binge-watch’ has been named Collins Word of the Year 2015 thanks to a dramatic increase in usage. Here’s the words that made the top 10 list: Binge-watchTo watch a large number of television programmes (especially all the shows from one series) in succession Dadbod… Read More

‘Binge-watch’, ‘shaming’ and ‘dadbod’ – Lucy Mangan’s take on Collins Word of the Year 2015

Halloween is over. Bonfire Night is turned to ashes. How, then, to enliven the barren days that stretch out before us until we may pop open the first door of the advent calendar and begin the final glorious countdown to Christmas? Why, by announcing the 2015 Collins Word of the… Read More

‘Manbun’, ‘hun’, ‘garroom’ and ‘thinkings’ – Lucy Mangan’s back with your new word submissions

I had a little operation last week, and as a result my ‘sedentarity’ has reached new heights. Or lows, depending on your view of the state of being sedentary, which is of course what AustinAllegro’s submission means. But between the stitches and the interesting new awareness-through-bruising of unknown internal organs,… Read More

‘Bigorexia’, ‘athleisure’ and ‘gudge’ – Lucy Mangan reveals the true nature of your new word submissions

Another week, another defiantly disheartening glimpse into the corporate mindset. This one is brought to you courtesy of the phrase “defeat device” (submitted by AustinAllegro), which is the name given to anything designed to affect emissions control systems. Like, it turns out, the software used in millions of Volkswagen diesel… Read More

Shake it like Shakespeare

Think modern pop music is missing a little poetry? Prefer rhyme schemes to the club scene? If so, you’ll love Pop Sonnets, an anthology of Shakespearean spins on your favourite songs. To celebrate its publication on this National Poetry Day, author Erik Didriksen reveals how he went about… Read More

‘Cereal café’, ‘Corbynomics’ and ‘Kill list’: September’s Words in the News

The start of September looked quite serious, with breaking news of a kill list (a list of high-profile targets) for drone attacks against ISIS. And as the migration crisis continued, August’s “ring of steel” was joined by Fortress Europe, a reference to border closings and other measures to curb immigration… Read More

Etymology Corner – ‘Festival’

Book-lovers are emerging from their paper cocoons in their book-and-mortar houses, in order to attend the Cheltenham Literature Festival and feed their desire for exciting, new reads. Here at Etymology Corner, we’re feeding your love of words. By no coincidence, this month we explore the origin of ‘festival’. Read More