Language Lovers

The Barbenheimer effect: 9 portmanteaus you need to know about

It’s been a summer of cinema this year, with Greta Gerwig’s long-awaited Barbie movie finally hitting the screens at the same time as Christopher Nolan’s biographical thriller Oppenheimer. Barbie’s marketing team have been painting the town hot pink, from transforming London’s Barbican underground station into Barbie-can,… Read More

Around the world in 8 words: The changing language of travel

Not all those who wander are lost, and when it comes to travel, sometimes wandering is one of the most exciting things you can do. And if you live in the UK, you’re lucky enough to have access to many beautiful destinations on your doorstep. In a time when travellers… Read More

Beer and skittles: beer-related words and phrases

Friday 4 August marks International Beer Day. Started in 2007, the Day honours the people who make and serve beer as well as suggesting we enjoy the drink in novel ways or with friends or try a new variety. Beer was once British everyman’s drink, wine… Read More

Yorkshire Day: celebrating Yorkshire words and Yorkshireness

The first of August is Yorkshire Day, established in 1975 and designed to encourage Yorkshire people to celebrate Yorkshire’s unique heritage, history and culture. Under the auspices of the Yorkshire Society, the Day’s ceremonial highlight is the gathering of the county’s civic leaders – here seated… Read More

9 words of Tolkien terminology

Arguably one of the most epic high-fantasy novels ever written, The Lord of the Rings trilogy introduced fans to Middle-earth, a fantastical place full of hobbits, dwarves and elves in an imaginary period of Earth’s past. J. R. R. Tolkien’s books have captured the imagination of readers for nearly 70… Read More

The sizzling vocabulary of the summer barbecue

It’s the middle of summer, and whether you spell it as barbecue, or barbeque or BBQ or Bar-B-Q, or simply call it a barbie, and if you haven’t already, it’s time to get your… Read More

Words from Wimbledon

From 11 a.m. this 3 July 2023, the thwack of racquets thrashing tennis balls to oblivion will echo and resound round the eighteen Wimbledon championship grass courts being played on. Aaaah, Wimbledon! Where else is so indissolubly linked with a given sport as this prosperous London suburb? And no other… Read More

7 music genres to spice up your playlist

As Shakespeare once said, if music be the food of love, play on. As we head into the summer, music festivals such as Coachella and Glastonbury dominate the airwaves and megastars such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles embark on global stadium tours, entertaining thousands of adoring fans in… Read More

A beginner’s guide to the language of AI

Technology has a way of completely revolutionising the way we live. Cars replaced the good old horse and carriage, washing machines and hoovers saved people hours of housework, and the mobile phone became… well, much more than just a phone. The latest technological advancement dominating the conversation at work, at… Read More