Conundrum: A Cold Spoor Warmed Up
Anatoly looks at the possible origins of the word “conundrum”.
The Haberdasher Displays His Wares and Escapes
Anatoly looks at the word “haberdasher”.
American Nicknames Part 1: Softies and Buckeye
Anatoly looks at the word “Buckeye”.
Severed Relations
Anatoly explores why some words naturally go together.
Snob Before and After Thackeray
Anatoly seeks the origin of “snob”.
Not All That is Paltry is Trivial
Anatoly wonders why we double up on names in certain words.
Some Words Have A Reputation To Live Up To
It is not fortuitous that many words like ‘puzzle’, ‘conundrum’, and ‘quiz’ are themselves puzzles from an etymological point of view. They arose as slang, sometimes as student slang, and as we don’t know the circumstances in which they were coined, our chances of discovering their origin is low.
Wild Honey With and Without Locusts
Two opposite forces act on the brain of someone who sets out to trace the origin of a word. To cite the most famous cases, coward is supposedly a “corruption” of cowherd and sirloin came into being when an English king dubbed an edible loin at table (Sir Loin). Such fantasies have tremendous appeal.
Monthly Gleanings
Anatoly responds to comments on spelling reform.
Sneak—Snack—Snuck
Anatoly uncovers how sneaked became snuck.
Monthly Gleanings
Anatoly answers this month’s questions and explains the intriguing history of the words element and hocus pocus.
Quizzes and Gigs
Anatoly delves into word history for our entertainment.
Monthly Gleanings
September 2007
Anatoly looks at some questions from the past month.
Monthly Gleanings (August 2007)
Anatoly answers questions gleaned from your comments.
Wilhelm Oehl and the butterfly
When I was growing up, I read Paul de Kruif’s book Microbe Hunters so many times that I still remember some pages by heart. Two chapters in the book are devoted to Pasteur. The second is called “Pasteur and the Mad Dog.” A book about great word hunters would similarly enthral the young and the old.
The Curmudgeon and the Catawampus
Anatoly weighs in on curmudgeon and catawampus.