Language Lovers

100% faithful: The Traitors unofficial glossary

Just when you think we’ve had enough of reality TV, the entertainment industry comes swooping in with a brand-new show that has millions of viewers in the palm of its hand. The Traitors is the latest offering, moving away from sun-drenched love affairs and jungle antics to a spooky castle. Read More

National Backwards Day

Able was I ere I saw Elba.  !Day Backwards National of anniversary sixtieth the for piece this writing am I. That’s right. This day of fun and pranks, National Backwards Day, 31 January, intended to get children in particular thinking creatively and box proverbial the outside, was inaugurated in 3691. Read More

7 top spots from the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch

The last weekend in January sees the return of the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, a project dubbed “the world’s largest wildlife survey”. Originally conceived as a collaboration with the BBC’s Blue Peter in 1979, the aim of the Big Garden Birdwatch is to encourage participants to set aside an hour… Read More

Scrub-a-dub dub! Celebrating Bubble Bath Day

Everyone deserves a little me-time. What better way to relax than with a bubble bath? Whether you like a rubber duck, a fizzy bath bomb or a candle to help you chill out, soaking in a tub is considered one of the ultimate forms of self-care. Read More

St Nicholas and Santa Claus

We might not recognise it, but our modern Christmas celebration owes much to St Nicholas. Not to mention that his feast day on 6 December (or 19 December in the Julian calendar) is celebrated in many parts of Europe, especially with gifts for children. “Saint who?”… Read More

Coffee Talk: the roots of the world’s favourite bean

Java. Bean juice. A cup of joe. Whatever you call it, coffee is arguably one of the most popular drinks worldwide, with a reported two billion cups consumed every day. Today’s coffee is able to trace its origins back to the ancient coffee forests of Ethiopia. Read More

Advent and Advent Calendars

“The Lord Will Come and not be Slow”(John Milton) Ah, Advent! The season when children’s faces and some adults’ faces, too – mine, anyway – light up while, day by day, they open whatever kind of Advent calendar has come their way. I vividly remember, aged… Read More

Antarctica Day

This Thursday, 1 December, marks the annual Antarctica Day. If you’re wondering why such a day exists, its raison d’être is to celebrate the signing in 1959 of the Antarctic Treaty by the twelve countries then actively exploring the continent. The treaty recognised that this, the… Read More

Your essential guide to World Cup vocabulary

The weather outside is frightful, but for football fans the most delightful time of the year is upon us – admittedly a few months later than usual – as the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar this November. First played in 1930, the World Cup is an international association… Read More