Is a 15-week limit on abortion an acceptable compromise?
A recent opinion piece claims that the overturning of Roe v. Wade has resulted in “a partial healing of the nation’s civic culture.”
Confronting bud and buddy
The Oxford Etymologist tackles the convoluted history of “bud” and “buddy” – the final part of the series.
The company we keep, part two: bud(dy)
The Oxford Etymologist tackles the convoluted history of “bud” and “buddy”.
What’s coming down the pike?
During the news coverage of the COVID pandemic, I enjoyed seeing Dr Anthony Fauci on television and hearing his old-school Brooklyn accent. My favorite expression to listen for was his use of “down the pike” to mean “in the future.”
The company we keep
Observing how various words for “friend” originate and develop is a rather curious enterprise.
More short words, or negation of the negation
All over the Indo-European map, the main word of negation begins with “n”. What is in this sound that invites denial, refutation, or repulsion?
Advancing the open access movement in Japan
Read and Publish agreements have become an important mechanism for providing institutions with a simple, flexible, and inclusive way of managing access to subscription and hybrid journals, whilst supporting their faculty to publish with open access licenses. These agreements play an increasingly important role in OUP’s program for advancing high-quality open access publications, and bring many benefits and opportunities for researchers.
On cowards and custard from a strictly linguistic point of view
The Oxford Etymologist dives into the history and meaning of the word “coward” – and what does cowardice have to do with custard?
Etymology gleanings for April 2023
Always, let me thank our correspondents for consulting the blog, asking questions, and offering words of encouragement.
How well do you know your twentieth-century literature? [Quiz]
Try this short quiz to test your knowledge and learn more about famous twentieth-century texts!
What does a technical writer do?
When people think about careers in writing, they may focus on writing novels or films, poetry or non-fiction. But for steady work, there is nothing like technical writing.
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.
What is subject marketing? An interview with Hana Purslow, philosophy marketing manager
In this interview, our Marketing Manager for philosophy, Hana Purslow, outlines OUP’s approach to subject marketing.
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.