The Writer's Thesaurus
By Dr Oliver Tearle
Where does the word mayonnaise come from? Many people will confidently say they know the answer, but perhaps the matter is a little more complex – and a little more interesting – than is widely believed.
Before we delve into the origin of the word ‘mayonnaise’, then, let’s make it a multiple-choice quiz question.
Where does the word ‘mayonnaise’ come from? Continue reading “The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Mayonnaise’”
By Dr Oliver Tearle
Anyone who loves nonsense literature can surely tell us the origins of the rather wonderful word ‘slithy’. But let’s make it a little more interesting and turn it into a multiple-choice quiz question. Who gave us the word ‘slithy’?
a) A man named Shakespeare
b) A man named Whately
c) A man named Lear
d) A man named Carroll Continue reading “The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Slithy’”
By Dr Oliver Tearle
What connects the word ‘gobbledygook’ with the word ‘maverick’? To discover the link, we need to delve into the origins, or etymologies, of both words. But first, let’s consider how we came to have the word gobbledygook to refer to meaningless jargon or nonsense. Continue reading “The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Gobbledygook’”