A riddling tale
The root of riddle “puzzle,” from rædels(e), is Old English rædan “to read.”
Hooker, as promised
The Oxford Etymologist explores the etymological development and history of the word “hooker.”
Prolegomena to the word hooker: the English verb filch
Problems emerge the moment we begin to explore the history of filch, because two homonymous verbs exist: filch “to attack” and filch “to steal.” They are almost certainly unrelated.
A rake’s etymological progress to hell
Three English words sound as rake: the garden instrument, the profligate, and a sailing term meaning “inclination from the perpendicular.” Though at first sight, they do not seem to be connected, I’ll try to show that their histories perhaps intertwine.
Scratching all the way to hell (second series)
At first sight, the origin of the verb “scratch” looks unproblematic… The Oxford Etymologist scratches beneath the surface of “scratch.”
A guide to going to hell (first draft) and other matters
The Oxford Etymologist ruminates on the origins and meanings of idioms including “to go to hell in a handbasket.”
Spring gleanings and a partial spring cleaning
The Oxford Etymologist replies to etymology questions from readers.
Going out on an etymological limb
Today’s post is about the murky origin of the word “limb”.
Sib and peace
The Oxford Etymologist has examined the verbs “begin” and “start.” For consistency’s sake, it is now necessary to say something about the noun and the verb “end.”
A shaky beginning of the end and the state of the art
The Oxford Etymologist has examined the verbs “begin” and “start.” For consistency’s sake, it is now necessary to say something about the noun and the verb “end.”
A new beginning: the verb “start”
The Oxford Etymologist explores the origin of the verb “to start”.
The murky beginning of the verb begin
The Oxford Etymologist explores the unfinished story of the word “begin”.
Etymology gleanings for two winter months (2022-2023)
In this blog post, the Oxford Etymologist responds to questions from readers on word borrowing across Hebrew, Greek, and Germanic, plus a few new etymology ideas.
Gr-words as mushrooms
Some words propagate like mushrooms: no roots but a sizable crowd of upstarts calling themselves relatives. Gr-words are the pet subject of all works on sound imitation and sound symbolism.
Monosyllabic moping
The Oxford Etymologist the common but etymologically opaque verb “mope”, and other monosyllabic verbs.
2023 and adventures in the idiom wonderland
The Oxford Etymologist explores a selection of idioms, including the amazing story of the phrase “fox’s wedding.”