The Ever-Green Chestnut
Anatoly Liberman looks at the word “chestnut.”
British Slang of Jewish Origin (?):
Oof and Fefnicute
Anatoly looks at oof and
Monthly Gleanings, Part Two: (August 2009)
Anatoly Liberman’s gleanings.
Monthly Gleanings, Part I: (August 2009)
By Anatoly Liberman Squaw. My post on squaw produced some ripples. Three lawyers from Michigan gave me the lashing of their tongue(s). (I am sorry for the parentheses, but I always feel uncomfortable when I have to say something like: “Three people put their foot in their mouth.” Should it be feet and mouths?) Their […]
Why Skate but Scathe?
Or, The Oddest English Spellings. Part 14
Anatoly looks at spelling reform, specifically at “sk” and “sc”.
The Deceptive Transparency of Compounds
Anatoly Liberman explains the etymology of compound words, notably, blackguard.
A Derailed Myth, or, a Story of the Word Tram
Anatoly Liberman tours the history of the word tram.
Around ethnic slurs part 2: Sheeny
Probably no other ethnic group has been vilified with so much linguistic ingenuity as the Jews. For the moment I will leave out of account Kike and Smouch and say what little I can about Sheeny, a word first recorded in English in 1824 (so the OED).
Droll but Harmless: The Word Scallywag
Anatoly Liberman explores various cultural forms and meanings of the term “scalawag.”
What Did The Vikings Do Before They Began to Play Football?
Anatoly Liberman explores the history of the word Viking.
Around Ethnic Slurs
Part 1: Squaw
Anatoly Liberman describes how “misspent political zeal turned ‘squaw’ into an ethnic slur.”
Monthly Gleanings, Part Two
Anatoly Liberman’s monthy gleanings.
June Ends (and so did May)
Anatoly Liberman chronicles the development of the “American variety of English” from its colonial origins through today.
The Evasive Yeoman
Oxford Etymologist, Anatoly Liberman, traces the roots of the word “yeomen.”
Can You Trust Your (Etymological) Dictionary?
Anatoly Liberman demonstrates the difficulty of tracing the origins of every day words–especially considering the lack of consensus among linguists.
English Is Astoundingly Like Russian, But What About French?
(The Origin of the Word Bistro)
Anatoly looks at the word “bistro”.