Mind your language
Coulrophobia
There’s something suspicious about the name for a fear of clowns which was on the shortlist of words of the…
Cortana
At the Queen’s Coronation, the Duke of Northumberland carried the Sword of Mercy called Cortana. I mention this for three…
Cortana
At the Queen’s Coronation, the Duke of Northumberland carried the Sword of Mercy called Cortana. I mention this for three…
Hygge
‘If there’s one thing I can’t stand,’ said my husband, ‘it’s scented candles.’ Now, we have never knowingly harboured a…
Hygge
‘If there’s one thing I can’t stand,’ said my husband, ‘it’s scented candles.’ Now, we have never knowingly harboured a…
Post-Brexit
Staring at a brown envelope, my husband said: ‘I’ll deal with that post-breakfast,’ and then laughed as though he had…
Post-Brexit
Staring at a brown envelope, my husband said: ‘I’ll deal with that post-breakfast,’ and then laughed as though he had…
Straik
I’m very glad I followed a friend’s recommendation to read The Bird of Dawning by John Masefield, an author neglected…
Straik
I’m very glad I followed a friend’s recommendation to read The Bird of Dawning by John Masefield, an author neglected…
Marmite vs Bovril
‘How can Bovril be suitable for vegetarians?’ asked my husband. ‘Bo- comes from bos, Latin for an ox.’ He was…
Marmite vs Bovril
‘How can Bovril be suitable for vegetarians?’ asked my husband. ‘Bo- comes from bos, Latin for an ox.’ He was…
Marmite vs Bovril
‘How can Bovril be suitable for vegetarians?’ asked my husband. ‘Bo- comes from bos, Latin for an ox.’ He was…
Polari
Of the contribution to English that Polari is claimed to have brought, perhaps naff is the most current-sounding. An older…
Polari
Of the contribution to English that Polari is claimed to have brought, perhaps naff is the most current-sounding. An older…
Critique
‘Americans,’ said my husband in much the same tone that Betsey Trotwood said ‘Donkeys’. It was his way of explaining…
Critique
‘Americans,’ said my husband in much the same tone that Betsey Trotwood said ‘Donkeys’. It was his way of explaining…
Ash
Home is where the heart is, but some poor languages have no word for ‘home’. For them, home is where…
Ash
Home is where the heart is, but some poor languages have no word for ‘home’. For them, home is where…
Niche
Jonathan Swift, in his satirical poem ‘An Epistle to a Lady’, says modestly: ‘If I can but fill my Nitch,/…
Niche
Jonathan Swift, in his satirical poem ‘An Epistle to a Lady’, says modestly: ‘If I can but fill my Nitch,/…
Va-t’en, Satan
What do you say to someone who is killing you? It is seldom possible to decide in advance. We are…
Va-t’en, Satan
What do you say to someone who is killing you? It is seldom possible to decide in advance. We are…
Doric
I’d seen The Gruffalo in Latin, so I was delighted when Veronica showed me a version her daughter had been…
Doric
I’d seen The Gruffalo in Latin, so I was delighted when Veronica showed me a version her daughter had been…
Taxi
Old Quentin Letts was on the wireless the other day asking ‘What’s the point of the London black cab?’ Between…
