No Subject is Too Petty for an Etymologist, Or, Pets from North to South
Anatoly explores the origins of the word ‘pet.’
Monthly Gleanings: March 2009
Anatoly answers questions about word origins.
Beating About the Gooseberry Bush
Anatoly explores the origins of the word ‘gooseberry,’ and its related phrases.
Everything is Tiptop
Long ago I wrote a column with the title “Tit for Tat.” Engl. tip for tap also existed at one time. Words like tip, tap, top, tick, tack, tock, tit, tat, tot, as well as those with voiced endings like tid– (compare tidbit), tad, and tod (“bush; fox”), are ideal candidates for sound imitative coinages.
Why Don’t We Know the Origin of the Word Ghetto?
Anatoly reviews possible origins of the word ‘ghetto.’
Monthly Gleanings: February 2009
Anatoly answers questions.
Grass Widows and Straw Men
Anatoly considers the origins of the phrases ‘grass widow’ and ‘straw man.’
Akimbo: An Embarrassment of Riches
A word, some scholars say, can have several etymologies. This is a misleading formulation. Various factors contribute to a word’s meaning and form. All of them should be taken into account and become part of the piece of information we call etymology, because words are like human beings.
Monthly Gleanings: January 2009: Part 2
Anatoly’s second installment of January gleanings.
Monthly Gleanings: January 2009
Anatoly’s January gleanings.
The Oddest English Spellings, Part 12
Or, One, Two, Buckle Your Shoe
Anatoly Liberman looks at the oddest English spellings.
An Etymologist As Lord of the Flies,
Or, Chicanery and Shenanigans All Over the Place
Anatoly looks at the origin of the word “chicanery.”
Helpmeet, Or Can Stillborn Words Prosper?
Anatoly Liberman looks at the story on the word “helpmeet.”
Etymology and Scandal
In the course of this month, two journalists have approached me with questions related to political scandals. My answers, neither of which has been printed in full, may perhaps interest the readers of our blog. They regarded the typicality of phrases such as Ponzi schemes, and using names as verbs.
Jolly Yule
Anatoly’s post has seasonal cheer.
What is Gibberish to One is an Etymology to Another
Anatoly Liberman looks at the origins of the word “gibberish”.