Highfalutin, cowan, and all, all, all… Gleanings at last!
The Oxford Etymologist shares a new explanation for “highfalutin” from a reader of the blog, which, if accepted, “will be a small step forward in the study of word origins.”
From broke to broker: following the tortuous path to truth
“To me, the history of etymologists’ wanderings reads like a thriller: so many naive and clever suggestions, such a blend of ignorance and ingenuity!” The Oxford Etymologist traverses the history of “broke.”
Clever Hans and beyond
The Oxford Etymologist details the origin and development of the adjective “clever”.
More than emotion words
Interjections like oh or wow are sometimes described—too simply—as “emotion words.” They certainly can express a wide range of emotions, including delight (ah), discovery (aha), boredom (blah), disgust (blech), frustration (argh), derision of another (duh) or one’s self (Homer Simpson’s d’oh).
They certainly can express a wide range of emotions, including delight (ah), discovery (aha), boredom (blah), disgust (blech), frustration (argh), derision of another (duh) or one’s self (Homer Simpson’s d’oh).
How little we (can) know about the history of the English language
Historical linguist Tim Machan explores the history of the English language and what we (can) know about it, and how it has been recorded throughout history.
A fool’s cap of etymologies, or the praise of folly
It is amazing how many synonyms for “fool” exist! It is almost funny that fool, the main English word for “a stupid person,” is not native, says the Oxford Etymologist in this week’s exploration of the origins of fools.
Another hopelessly obscure word: brocard
Some words are so rare that few people know and even fewer study them. Such is “brocard”, the “outcast” subject of today’s blog post from the Oxford Etymologist.
Believe it or not: one more book on language and language history
The Oxford Etymologist casts a glance at a book exploring the history of language and its development that is “definitely worth reading.”
Some hopelessly obscure words: the case of cowan
Some words don’t interest anyone. They languish in their obscurity, and even lexicographers miss or ignore them. Yet they too deserve to get their day in court. One such word is “cowan.”
What we say when we say “just sayin’”
The distinction between nouns and adjectives seems like it should be straightforward, but it’s not. Grammar is not as simple as your grade-school teacher presented it.
On squashing and occasional squeezing
The Oxford Etymologist explores squash, squeeze, and the development of squ- words featuring the infamous s-mobile.
In praise of sloth
The hero of today’s blog post is the adjective “slow.” No words look less inspiring, but few are more opaque.
Etymology as guesswork, being also a study in the history of the word guess
A good deal of our scholarship is guesswork, and today’s story deals with the origin and history of the word “guess.”
American English dialects: always changing, yet here to stay
Are Americans in different parts of the country starting to talk more alike? It’s a reasonable question to ask. Americans have always been footloose, and now that working remotely is possible, they’re relocating to other regions more than ever.
An etymological stinkpo(s)t
The Oxford Etymologist’s subject today is the origin of the verb “stink”.
Is it a noun or an adjective?
The distinction between nouns and adjectives seems like it should be straightforward, but it’s not. Grammar is not as simple as your grade-school teacher presented it.