Language Lovers

Do you know what chronotype or cynosure mean? Lucy Mangan is here to explain all!

24th Jul 2014

It’s thought that we acquire pretty much the whole of our working vocabularies by the time we’re 18. We can and do, of course, learn new words after that but the knowledge of them, our comfort with them, does not flow as deep. It is hard to identify them from… Read More

Cryptic Crossword Success: 5 Ways to Crack Those Crafty Clues

22nd Jul 2014

A good cryptic clue contains three elements: ● a precise definition ● a fair subsidiary indication (wordplay) ● nothing else The beauty of cryptic crosswords is that solvers can immediately be certain that their solutions are correct. This is because there… Read More

21 Cycling Words to Set You Up For the Tour de France

11th Jul 2014

Running from Saturday July 5th to Sunday July 27th 2014, the 101st Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,664 kilometres. This annual bicycle race was first organized in 1903, and has run every year except for… Read More

Gramping and ramscootering: Lucy Mangan takes on more of your submissions to Collinsdictionary.com

8th Jul 2014

I once wrote this about camping, having been forced to undertake the activity for the first time by an editor with pages to fill and sadistic urges to satisfy. “It’s insanity, is what it is. For thousands of years mankind has sought to improve his condition; to protect himself from… Read More

Slender Man, Spornosexuals, and Smartphones – Trending Words in June 2014

2nd Jul 2014

Of course June is mostly about the World Cup. Which, if you’re English, is pretty bad news (but hey, there’s always Wimbledon!). Unfortunately, this month has yielded bad news of a more serious nature. Violence in Iraq has made ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) a household… Read More

Words You Need to Follow Tennis Like a Pro

2nd Jul 2014

Most of us know our racquet from our ball, our backhand from our forehand, and perhaps even our aces from our deuces. But what else will you need to know if you’re to follow the tennis and understand who’s the hot dog and who’s just… Read More

Word-lover interview: Bruce Holsinger, author and scholar

30th Jun 2014

We’ve been speaking to Bruce Holsinger, who as well as being a successful novelist, is also Professor of English at the University of Virginia, where he teaches courses on medieval and modern literature. You can read more about Bruce and his work at www.bruceholsinger.com as well as… Read More

Glasgow Patter – 12 Scottish Slang Words To Test You

26th Jun 2014

It’s the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow! Get your Glasgow slang in place for a glorious Glasgow 2014! Most cities have their own quips, spoonerisms and slang terms, but few so famously as Glasgow, whose ‘patter’ has gained prestige from its use in television programmes, comedy sketches and poetry –… Read More

Pluviophile, rore and celefie: Lucy Mangan takes on your latest word submissions to CollinsDictionary.com

25th Jun 2014

Let’s start with hootenanny’s ‘chuff chart‘. No, come back – it’s quite safe for work (though perhaps I’d better also check “hootananny” – yes, we’re okay), at least these days. It originated in the forces and referred to a chart that counted down the… Read More