Hue and cry, or the mystery of red gold
I have always wanted to write about the enigmatic phrase “red gold.” Our characterization of color is a matter of culture, not physiology.
Crabbed age and youth cannot live together, but crabs and scorpions can
The origin of the word blatherskite ~ bletherskate “foolish talk; foolish talker” is supposedly secure. The Oxford Etymologist investigates…
Do you blather when you skate?
The origin of the word blatherskite ~ bletherskate “foolish talk; foolish talker” is supposedly secure. The Oxford Etymologist investigates…
Noises off? A guarded tribute to onomatopoeia and sea-sickness
While trying to solve etymological riddles, we often encounter references to sound-imitation where we do not expect them, but the core examples hold no surprise. It seems that nouns and verbs describing all kinds of noises should illustrate the role of onomatopoeia, and indeed, hum, ending in m, makes one think of quiet singing (crooning) and perhaps invites peace, while drum, with its dr-, probably evokes the idea of the noise associated with this instrument.
On mattocks and maggots, their behavior and origin
The mattock, a simple tool, has a name troublesome to etymologists even though it has been known since the Old English period. In this blog post, the Oxford Etymologist explores a new hypothesis for the origins of “mattock”.
Four ways machine learning is set to revolutionize breast surgery
Machine learning has grown to become quite the buzzword in clinical research. Across recent years, we’ve seen an almost exponential increase in the number of successful machine learning trials conducted, with the technology now hailed as a torchbearer for healthcare’s artificial intelligence revolution.
The human aspect of etymology
Why do so many words beginning with sn- evoke unpleasant associations? The Oxford Etymologist answers a reader’s question.
A democracy, if we can keep it
At this fearful time in American democracy, the best way to starve anti-democratic forces of their energy is to change the subject away from conservative religion and demand investment in civic education, democratic localism, and human rights.
Individualization of war or de-contextualization? A social critique
A look at how examining the regulation of war through a social lens can provide important insights into the relationship between international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Bachelors and bachelorettes
No one doubts that “bachelor” came to Middle English at the end of the thirteenth century from Old French and meant “a young knight.” Most conjectures about the etymology of this mysterious word were offered long ago.
“Never say die” and dictionaries for the living
Where do you find the origin and, if necessary, the meaning of never say die, never mind, and other phrases of this type? Should you look them up under never, say, die, or mind? Will they be there?
Oxford World English Symposium 2022 recap [podcast]
This past April, the Oxford English Dictionary hosted the World English Symposium, a two-day event featuring a series of parallel sessions and panels on topics relating not only to varieties of English, but language prejudice, colonialism, and context-based English language teaching, among others.
Idioms: a historian’s view
Idioms are phrases and often pose questions not directly connected with linguistics. Linguists interested in the origin of idioms should be historians and archeologists.
Etymology gleanings for March 2022
This week, the Oxford Etymologist answers readers questions in his latest etymology gleanings.
Osteological folklore: “bonfire”
My today’s word is bonfire, which turned up in texts at the end of the fifteenth century. Seven years ago, I devoted a post to it but today I know more about this tricky compound and can write the story in a different way.
Religious terminology: further benefits of blessing and the devious ways of cursing
In this week’s blog post, the Oxford Etymologist dives deeper into the competing origin theories for the verb “bless”—with “curse” as an added bonus.