Oxford University Press's
Academic Insights for the Thinking World

  • Language

Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Westward Ho

The blog Oxford Etymologist is resuming its activities. I expected multiple expressions of grief and anxiety at the announcement that I would be away from my desk for a week, but no one seems to have noticed. Anyway, I am back and ready to finish the series on the four cardinal points. Since it is in the west that the sun sets, I relegated this post to the end of my long story.

Read More
Cover image of "The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Guel Propaganda and How to Fight It" by Genevieve Guenther

Understanding fossil-fuel propaganda: a Q&A with Genevieve Guenther

2024’s UN climate summit in Azerbaijan is a key moment for world leaders to express their convictions and plans to address the escalating stakes of the climate crisis. This month we sat down with Genevieve Guenther—author of The Language of Climate Politics, and founder of End Climate Science to discuss the current state of climate activism and how propaganda from the fossil fuel industry has shaped the discourse.

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

 All the way back: “South”

This essay owes its title to local patriotism. In Minnesota, which has recently become one of the centers of world politics and in which I happen to live and teach, when people move in the direction of the state’s northern border, they often describe their travel as “going up north.” I too am moving in that direction with my heavy burden of words of unknown origin

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Up north

This essay owes its title to local patriotism. In Minnesota, which has recently become one of the centers of world politics and in which I happen to live and teach, when people move in the direction of the state’s northern border, they often describe their travel as “going up north.” I too am moving in that direction with my heavy burden of words of unknown origin

Read More
Title cover of "Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President from Washington to Trump" by Edwin L. Battistella, published by Oxford University Press

Self words

Reading a book on the 1992 chess match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer, I came across this sentence:  “Twenty years ago, to the very day, Fischer had swept to victory, to become crowed as the 11th World Champion, against the self-same Spassky, then the Soviet World Champion.”

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Out for lunch

My studies of medieval literature and folklore made me interested in tricksters, clown, jesters, and all kinds of popular entertainers. At least three essays in the Oxford Etymologist column bear witness to this interest: Clown (August 31, 2016) and Harlequin (September 16 and October 14, 2020).

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Light from the East

My studies of medieval literature and folklore made me interested in tricksters, clown, jesters, and all kinds of popular entertainers. At least three essays in the Oxford Etymologist column bear witness to this interest: Clown (August 31, 2016) and Harlequin (September 16 and October 14, 2020).

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Do you have lumps in your lunch?

My studies of medieval literature and folklore made me interested in tricksters, clown, jesters, and all kinds of popular entertainers. At least three essays in the Oxford Etymologist column bear witness to this interest: Clown (August 31, 2016) and Harlequin (September 16 and October 14, 2020).

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Clowns, laughter, and macaroni

My studies of medieval literature and folklore made me interested in tricksters, clown, jesters, and all kinds of popular entertainers. At least three essays in the Oxford Etymologist column bear witness to this interest: Clown (August 31, 2016) and Harlequin (September 16 and October 14, 2020).

Read More
Title cover of "Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President from Washington to Trump" by Edwin L. Battistella, published by Oxford University Press

The hidden language of crosswords

I got a book of New York Times crossword puzzles, edited by Will Shortz, as a gift. I had never been a crossword addict or even an aficionado, but a gift is meant to be enjoyed, so I began working through the puzzles in the evenings as I watched the news.

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Bootless cats, curious idioms, and Kattegat

Over the years, I have discussed the origin of quite a few animal names. Despite my inroads, most of them—from heifer to dog—remain problematic. Yet no word is more enigmatic than cat. Two names for cat dominate the world: either some variant of kat or miu ~ mau (Ancient Egyptian) ~ mao (Chinese).

Read More
3D Cover image of Dogwhistles and Figleaves

Figleaves: 5 examples of concealed speech

In art, a figleaf is used to barely cover something one isn’t supposed to show in public. I use the term ‘figleaf’ for utterances (and sometimes pictures, or other things) which barely cover for speech of a sort one isn’t supposed to openly engage in. When someone says “I’m not a racist but…” and then […]

Read More
3D Cover image of Dogwhistles and Figleaves

Dogwhistles: 10 examples of disguised messages

Dogwhistles are one of the most discussed methods for politicians to play on voters’ racial attitudes in a stealthy manner, although they come in handy for manipulation on other topics as well. The key to a dogwhistle is this hiding of what’s really going on. Broadly speaking, a dogwhistle is a bit of communication with an interpretation that seems perfectly innocent—but which also does something else.

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Honoring Ernest Weekley

This is the second and last post on Ernest Weekley, an excellent scholar and engaging writer. The “installment” a week ago dealt with the history of Standard English through the eyes of the inimitable Mrs. Gamp.

Read More
Title cover of "Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology" by Anatoly Liberman

Ernest Weekley and standard English

Many people who are interested in word origins know Ernest Weekley’s English etymological dictionary. I am sorry that we cannot post his photo: for some mysterious reason, all his portraits on the Internet are copyrighted. He wrote many excellent books on English words.

Read More