‘Corbynmania’, ‘gig economy’ and ‘Operation Stack’: July’s Words in the News

7th Aug 2015

As a closet prog rock fan, I’m well acquainted with the Peter Gabriel era Genesis song which describes an invasion of Britain by a triffid-esque poisonous plant called the giant hogweed. So it came as a surreal shock when I read that this plant was not only real but had… Read More

Etymology Corner – ‘Wuthering’

6th Aug 2015

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

31st Jul 2015

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

17th Jul 2015

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

16th Jul 2015

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… Read More

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

6th Jul 2015

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’

3rd Jul 2015

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

3rd Jul 2015

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!

19th Jun 2015

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