Brummie and proud of it: 15 bostin words

With the Commonwealth Games taking place there between 28th July and 8th August, the UK’s second city finds itself in the glare of the international spotlight, a place where it has never felt very comfortable. Brummies, as the city’s inhabitants are commonly… Read More

Let the games begin: Tracking the etymology of the Commonwealth Games

It’s a year of sport ahead! We’re kicking off with the Commonwealth Games, an annual multi-sport international competition held every four years. This year, the event will be held in Birmingham, and it has grown from 11 countries and 400 athletes to over 4,600 people across 72 nations and territories… Read More

Brush up! 5 archaeological gems

Whether your first introduction to the world of archaeology was the classroom or Jurassic Park, the ability to study the past remains a fascinating endeavour for academics and hobbyists in the present. Archaeology is the study of societies and peoples of the past through examining the… Read More

What’s the difference between pants and shorts?

This week we are looking at some words that are used differently in British and American English: pants and shorts. pants function playAudio(url) { new Audio(url).play(); } In British English, pants are a piece of clothing that people wear as underwear under their other… Read More

Spanish word of the week: ligero

This week's Spanish word of the week is 'ligero', an adjective meaning 'light', 'lightweight' or 'slight'. Read More

French word of the week: cher

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French adjective 'cher'. Read More

What’s the difference between chef and chief?

This week we are looking at some words that some learners of English may find confusing: chef and chief. chef A chef is a cook in a hotel or restaurant. Her recipe was passed on to the chef. He works as a chef in a large… Read More

Bastille Day

Allons enfants de la patrie… July brings us two major celebrations of liberty: the Fourth of July for U.S. independence and ten days later, French Bastille Day, 14 July, known in France as le quatorze juillet and never as Jour de la Bastille. But what exactly does it commemorate? And… Read More

Spanish word of the week: dormir

This week's Spanish word of the week is 'dormir', a verb meaning 'to sleep'. Read More