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

‘Smize’, ‘Squinch’ and ‘Teeg’ – Lucy Mangan poses with your new word submissions

I accidentally went out with a young person the other evening and she insisted on taking a selfie with me in the frame. “Smize!” she said. “We barely know each other,” I said, shocked. “It means ‘smile with your eyes’,” she said. I think she thought she was explaining. Read More

Etymology Corner – ‘Tennis’

It’s that time of year again. Brits are assuming position on Henman Hill, or as it’s more commonly come to be known as, ‘Murray Mound’, with strawberries and cream in one hand and a glass of Pimm’s in the other. To celebrate the return of Wimbledon, we’ve examined the etymology… Read More

‘Greferendum’, ‘paperology’ and ‘leap second’: June’s Words in the News

In June, Greece was the word. Or more accurately, Grexit was the word. Yes, since the financial crash eight years ago, the spectre of a Greek exit from the Euro has never really gone away. But last month many commentators agreed it loomed larger than ever, when it was announced… Read More

Feeling ‘unkeyboardinated’? Lucy Mangan’s new word submissions should do the trick!

Hang on… bear with me… I got very little sleep last night so am a bit unkeyboardinated today. Which means, of course, “to be having trouble typing”. Thank you, RobertG, for this contribution to the word stock and – far more importantly – to my sense of not being uniquely… Read More

Grab your ‘koozie’ and catch a spot of ‘rabbit showjumping’ – Lucy Mangan’s back with your new word submissions

A phenomenon that is spreading faster than cracks in a Californian riverbed is “droughtshaming”. Submitted by RobertG, it refers to the practice of posting pictures on social media of violations of the water use restrictions that the state has put in place as a result of the ongoing absence of… Read More