Archive

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

#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

The totally rad guide to Stranger Things slang

With Stranger Things 2 now streaming on Netflix, we’re here to help you get up to speed with your ‘80s terminology. We’ve selected some of our favourite words from the show, from the eerie Upside Down to Eleven’s favoured insult, mouthbreather. Upside Down ‘Upside down.’ – Eleven Let’s start… Read More

Ghosts gather here! The etymological history of Halloween

As leaves start to fall and the world develops a sepia tint, so begins autumn – a mystical time of year, with Halloween historically believed to mark the turning point of summer into colder months. This spooky season we’ve compiled a list of traditional Halloween words and phrases to examine… Read More

80 years of The Hobbit: The unique language of J.R.R. Tolkien

In honour of The Hobbit’s 80th anniversary, we explore the origins of some of the legendary words and phrases J.R.R. Tolkien coined, within his own novels and during his time as a dictionary editor. Hobbit Perhaps his most famous linguistic invention, the word became well-known in 1937 after… Read More

Dragons & direwolves: Exploring the language of Westeros

As we pass the halfway point of Game Of Thrones Season 7, we continue our series examining the etymology behind the language of Westeros. This week we’re focusing on the hottest (literally, in some cases) words of the season and their roots in the English language. Turncloak ‘“Theon Turncloak,” someone… Read More
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