Mistletoe & wassail! 6 word treats to savour this festive season

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! From wassailing to jolly Kris Kringle, the holiday season comes with its own festive selection of words and phrases. Dig into the true etymological meaning of Christmas, plus five more festive word treats to mull over. Christmas As you may… Read More

A right royal affair! 12 regal words to add to your vocabulary

With the royal engagement of HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, plus the latest season of The Crown now available on Netflix, the royal family is a popular topic of conversation. We’ve searched this noble kingdom for all the royal terminology you need to know, just in time for the… Read More

‘Tis the season to be… còsagach?

The Danes introduced us to the idea of hygge. The Germans are fond of a spot of Gemütlichkeit. And now that the nights have well and truly drawn in, Scots are getting well and truly… còsagach. Eh… còsagach? Say that again? This wee Scottish Gaelic word (pronounced “kaw-sa-goch”, to rhyme… Read More

Hipster racism, Pop-up Brothel, and the Irish Question: November’s Words in the News

At a White House event in November, US president Donald Trump referred to Senator Elizabeth Warren as Pocahontas while honouring Navajo veterans of the Second World War, who had translated military intelligence communications into the Navajo language so they could not be read by the Axis powers. The real… Read More

#WorldHelloDay – How to say hello in 15 languages

A little Twitter bird told us that it’s #WorldHelloDay on November 21st! To celebrate, we’ve put together a quick guide to saying hello in 15 languages. How many can you learn? 1. Spanish – ¡Hola! 2. French – Bonjour 3. German – Hallo 4. Italian – Ciao 5. Mandarin Chinese… Read More

Etymology Corner – Collins Word of the Year 2017

Collins Language has announced the 2017 Word of the Year shortlist, identifying ten words that had emerged or come to prominence during the course of the year. Here we trace the often shadowy origins of five of the words and show how they rose to become prominent in news, politics,… Read More

‘Fake news’, ‘Insta’ & ‘Unicorn’ – Lucy Mangan’s take on #CollinsWOTY 2017

Fear not the dull days between All Hallows’ Eve and Guy Fawkes Night! The Collins’ Word of the Year award is here to spice up the festive interregnum! Although, in the interests of full disclosure, I thought it was going to take me most of the interval just to work… Read More

Collins 2017 Word of the Year Shortlist

Fake news has been announced as the Collins Word of the Year 2017. Discover the rest of the words in this year’s shortlist. Fake news noun: false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting Antifa noun: (1) a antifascist organization (2) a… Read More

#metoo, “no deal”, and KRACK: October’s Words in the News

To someone of my generation, red sun sounds like the sequel to a terrible 80s film about an unlikely Soviet occupation of the Midwestern United States. In fact, it refers to a bit of weather we had here in the UK in mid-October. There have been several hurricanes of note… Read More