In polite company you have to watch what you say, be careful to use the right tone and turn of phrase and not to offend.
‘Mind your Ps and Qs’, your mum would say!
As with many phrases of our oral tradition the exact origin is not clear but there are some very believable theories, one [more…]
The sound of a sneeze has the onomatopoeic atishoo to describe it. This works well, and is further authenticated by the word’s similarity to ‘tissue’, a must-have for sneezers.
One theory links the origins of ‘atishoo’ to the Black Death.
The nursery rhyme, Ring a Ring o’Roses, is thought, by some, to have developed as a [more…]
This very down-to-earth word has a very lofty origin .
The supreme Egyptian god, Amen or Amon was Ammon to the Greeks.
He was worshipped at the temple of Jupiter Ammon situated at a Libyan oasis.
The dung and urine of camels that came to drink at the oasis, was collected and sal ammoniacus or ‘salt of [more…]
This sweet little songbird owes its name to a large breed of dog!
Stories that the group of volcanic islands to the north of Africa were inhabited by large dogs, led the Romans to call these islands Canariae Insulae or dog islands.
Canary became used as an adjective to describe exports form the islands, such as [more…]
The alphabet was known as Christ-cross-row because the row of letters was preceded by a character resembling a Maltese cross.
When an illiterate person was required to sign his name he would print the Christ-cross as his mark.
Eventually the first syllable was reduced and the word crisscross entered our language meaning to cross with lines. [more…]
Have you ever thought to curry favour with your boss? Did you think it had something to do with inviting her to share a spicy Indian meal?
You might be surprised to know it has more to do with grooming a chestnut horse!
The expression comes from the less commonly known meaning of curry – ‘to [more…]
If you’re ‘dressed to the nines’ it doesn’t mean that you have nine layers of clothes on!
It actually means you are dressed very smartly or elaborately.
This phrase dates from the 18th century, and was already in use when Robert Burns used it in a poem in 1796, as ‘Twad please me to [more…]
When Albert married his first cousin, Queen Victoria, it was a match of true love.
Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel was the second son of Ernest, duke of Saxe-Coburg, and Louise, daughter of Duke Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg.
He was not initially popular with the people of Britain and was always in the background of public life. [more…]
A boy with a six-shooter in his hand – he wreaked havoc in the Wild West.
William McCarty, who took on the name William H. Bonney, and was also known as Kid Antrim, was one of the most notorious gunmen of the American South West.
Born in New York in 1859, he grew up in Silver [more…]
