We take a look at the etymology behind the word ‘rocket’ and it’s Italian origins

Over 300 common English words can be traced back to Italian, and it will come as little surprise to hear that a large number of these relate either to music or to food. Most of the technical vocabulary of music is borrowed from Italian and so English speakers are accustomed… Read More

We take a look at the etymology behind the word ‘canapé’ and its French origins

William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 brought not only a new ruling dynasty to England but also a radical change in the nature of the English language. Over the following centuries the language of the Norman French invaders became intertwined with that of the defeated… Read More

We take a look at the etymology behind the word ‘bonanza’ and it’s Spanish origins

A Spanish bonanza To celebrate the launch of our brand-new Unlocking Spanish with Paul Noble we’re looking at commonly used English words that originally came from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. Some of these are words that are still strongly associated with Spanish culture, so it is no surprise… Read More

10 weird and wonderful language facts from Paul Noble

1. Learning another language makes your brain function more effectively. Recent studies have shown that it helps increase intelligence, empathy and attention span. It has also been shown to slow down the brain’s ageing process and so reduce the risk of dementia – a good reason to sign up for… Read More

Brexit, Trump, and celebrity deaths: the perfect storm of 2016’s Words in the News

On 28 December 2016, an independent comedy production company called Friend Dog Studios produced a mock-trailer of the year 2016 as a horror film. Though not everyone will agree, 2016 was a pretty bizarre year on the world stage. At the start of it, David Bowie, Prince, Carrie Fisher, Alan… Read More

Scrabble™ Christmas Anagrams

There’s something about Christmas and tradition that makes me think there’s nothing better than getting everyone round a great family board game after stuffing themselves with turkey and mince pies (I’m more of a jam roly-poly fan!) X boxes, Fifa etc are more set up for the individual and they… Read More

‘Beagled’, ‘stagmin’ and ‘judgementality’ – Lucy Mangan’s back with your new word submissions

Sometimes you can feel contributors’ pain in their submissions. This week my heart goes out to Wilhelm81 and Scania143ab, who have sent in stagmin and beagled respectively. Stagmin is the admin associated with organising a stag weekend. I have visions of Wilhelm going quietly demented at the kitchen… Read More

Etymology Corner – ‘Scrabble’

With the holiday season approaching, it might be a good time to get some board-games out of the cupboard so that the family can while away a winter’s evening in friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition. One of the world’s most popular board-games is Scrabble™. However, Scrabble™ has not always been called… Read More

Strange International Scrabble™ Facts

Nigel Richards from New Zealand is renowned as the best Scrabble™ player in the history of the game. He spends his life travelling the world from one event to another – he’s effectively the only Scrabble™ professional, earning enough money from one event to pay his expenses for the next. Read More