Language Lovers

Etymology Corner – ‘Blitz’

‘Blitz’ comes from the German word for lightning. Its arrival in the English language can be traced to the German military strategy of Blitzkrieg (literally ‘lightning war’), which used tanks and bombers to secure rapid victories at the start of World War II. When a similar strategy was used in… Read More

‘Dismaland’, ‘ring of steel’ and ‘pansexual’: August’s Words in the News

The Summer holidays are over and schools are back in session. For any parents who took their kids to abroad to Paris, Orlando, or California during the past couple months, the Disneyland parks may already seem terrifying beyond belief. The credit card bill certainly will be. But, the elusive artist… Read More

‘Crushed it.’ Lucy Mangan does a great job with your new word submissions

Thank you, moneill, for submitting “crush it” – meaning “do exceptionally well” – as it gives me an excuse to quote one of my favourite moments from the second season of my favourite sitcom of recent years, Silicon Valley (Mike Judge’s latest and A Joy Forever). Richard and Jared, founder… Read More

How ‘grammable’ is your ‘hoglet’? Lucy Mangan casts judgment on your new word submissions

I am apparently not allowed to share with you all the new swearwords that spring forth unbidden but fully formed when your tyre blows on a country road on the penultimate day of your holiday and takes half your nearside wing with it, but can I just say they were… Read More

‘Corbynmania’, ‘gig economy’ and ‘Operation Stack’: July’s Words in the News

As a closet prog rock fan, I’m well acquainted with the Peter Gabriel era Genesis song which describes an invasion of Britain by a triffid-esque poisonous plant called the giant hogweed. So it came as a surreal shock when I read that this plant was not only real but had… Read More

Etymology Corner – ‘Wuthering’

Last week Emily Brontë and Kate Bush shared a birthday. To celebrate Bush’s 57th and Brontë’s 197th, we delve into the origin of the wonderfully Gothic ‘wuthering’. The title of Emily Brontë’s classic novel Wuthering Heights refers to the name of a haunted farmhouse in an exposed moorland… Read More

Where’s your ‘fossilling’ brush? Lucy Mangan does some digging and ‘gigging’ with your new word submissions

I’m doing a gig! Previously I have just sat at my desk and written this blog on a laptop and in a state of questionable personal hygiene, but this time – I’m gigging! Because I, as a freelance, am now part of the “gig economy”, a term which was submitted… Read More

‘Insneezia’, ‘Streambox’ and ‘Dieties’ – Lucy Mangan tickles the senses with your new word submissions

Wimbledon is over. I like what I now know, thanks to contributor AustinAllegro, to be called “moonballs” best of all – those high, arcing shots that seem to hover just long enough in the air for the recipient to position himself perfectly underneath and smash them back into the furthest… Read More

Narcissism Redefined

The English language is evolving all the time. Over 50,000 new words were added to the 12th edition of the Collins English Dictionary in 2014, and the definitions of many pre-existing words had altered according to popular usage. Dr Craig Malkin, clinical psychologist and author of The Narcissist Test,… Read More