The derivation of the word “quiz” is uncertain. The Oxford Dictionaries definition notes that it is “sometimes said to have been invented by a Dublin theatre proprietor who, having made a bet that a nonsense word could be made known within 48 hours throughout the city, and that the public would give it a meaning,… Continue reading Word of the week: quiz
The literal meaning of therapeutic, according to this definition on Dictionary.com, is “of or relating to the treating or curing of disease; curative”. Many of us use it in the more vague sense of something that makes you feel good, something that improves your peace of mind. I used it earlier this month when a… Continue reading Word of the week: therapeutic
Earlier this month, in preparation for this piece, I wrote about words ending in “-ize” and “-ization” and my preference for spelling them with a “z” rather than an “s”. All the quotes in this piece follow this preference rather than the house style of the publications that I have quoted from. One of the… Continue reading Word of the week: compartmentalization
Liam Gallagher is back. His new single, “Wall of Glass” (check out the official video here), has been all over the radio, or at least the radio stations I listen to, and he gave a compelling performance at Glastonbury. I watched it from the comfort of my living-room early one Sunday morning after a later-than-planned… Continue reading Word of the week: paraphernalia
The word “mole” has been on my mind for a while. I have a large, dark mole on my back, about 4” (10cm) above my beltline. It gets very itchy. I first showed it to my GP in 1997 and every few years since then have had it checked out. Four different general practitioners have… Continue reading Word of the week: mole
Conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, or pink eye, is an “inflammation of the conjunctiva”. The conjunctiva is “the mucous membrane that lines the exposed portion of the eyeball and inner surface of the eyelids”. Dictionary.com just told me this, in the definitions here and here. I am currently recovering from conjunctivitis, the second time in… Continue reading Word of the week: conjunctivitis
The word exobrain has been playing on my mind for many years now. I wasn’t sure how many years until trying to work out where, exactly, I first came across it. I thought it was in this Oliver Burkeman piece in which he confesses that he is “obsessed with index cards”. He writes about many… Continue reading Word of the week: exobrain
Can you picture a guillotine? I’m talking here about the device used for executions, especially during the French Revolution: a tall wooden frame, a heavy block with a sharp, angled blade, dropped from a great height to behead the prisoner below, their neck secured in wooden stocks. On Saturday morning I caught about 20 minutes… Continue reading Word of the week: guillotine
A recent quiz question on “Fifteen to One” asked which fish has the taxonomic name Thymallus Thymallus and is known as the “Lady of the Stream”. I had never heard of it. The answer is grayling. This form of taxonomic name, where the same word is used twice, prompted thoughts of other such names, and… Continue reading Word of the week: tautonym
Happy Easter to you. We’re all back on the chocolate. As every native English speaker knows, the word “chocolate” has two syllables. It’s chock-lit, or chock-luht, or even chahk-lert, never choc-oh-late. My brother and I were discussing this last week when he was over for the 20th Anniversary of my mother’s death. He has lived… Continue reading Word of the week: chocolate
The Compartments 