sport

Words from Wimbledon

3rd Jul 2023

From 11 a.m. this 3 July 2023, the thwack of racquets thrashing tennis balls to oblivion will echo and resound round the eighteen Wimbledon championship grass courts being played on. Aaaah, Wimbledon! Where else is so indissolubly linked with a given sport as this prosperous London suburb? And no other… Read More

Your essential guide to World Cup vocabulary

24th Nov 2022

The weather outside is frightful, but for football fans the most delightful time of the year is upon us – admittedly a few months later than usual – as the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar this November. First played in 1930, the World Cup is an international association… Read More

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

26th Jul 2022

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

Six Nations Championship: the lexicon of rugby

9th Feb 2022

The British have invented so many sports (how many can you think of? I make it fifteen1) and exported them to the four corners of the globe. Sometimes, sadly for some, cosmic irony dictates that the adopter is superior to the exporter, as in the recent case of… Read More

One snooker doesn’t make a summer

13th Jul 2020

Ah, summer in England! Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon as sun (or rain) beats down on Centre Court and the boisterous crowd throngs Henman Hill. Or a bracing dip at the lido followed by post-immersion goose pimples making it feel especially wonderful to be alive. Except that this COVID-summer will… Read More

Are you a football fan visiting Moscow?

10th Jul 2018

Springing immediately to mind at the mention of Moscow is the image of Red Square with the twin features of the imposing historic Kremlin and the shining onion-domed Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed. The citadel of the Kremlin has been inextricably linked to all the most important historical… Read More

5 unusual words & phrases to upgrade your World Cup 2018 banter

18th Jun 2018

Whether you’re a football fanatic or somewhat indifferent to sport, the 2018 World Cup brings everyone together to celebrate the beautiful game. Impress your friends, family and colleagues with this unusual collection of football lingo. Throw a few of these words and phrases into your World Cup conversation and you’ll… Read More

Etymology Corner – ‘Rugby’

3rd Feb 2017

The Six Nations begin tomorrow so we’ve decided to look at the etymology behind the word ‘rugby’. ‘Rugby’ is what is known in etymological parlance as a toponym: a word that is derived from a place-name. In this case the word… 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