Oxford English dictionary

Why ‘embolden’ is a word in a million — and it’s currently in vogue

29 September 2018 9:00 am

Embolden is a word in a million. In other words it is quite common. Using data from Google Books, the…

When Kingsley Amis needed a new insult, he reached for the taboo

25 November 2017 9:00 am

‘It’s up there on the shelf you can’t reach,’ said my husband in an unhelpfully helpful tone. The ‘it’ was…

Are exclamation marks still vulgar? Yes!

21 May 2016 9:00 am

‘Like eating in the street,’ said my husband. Astonishing! He’d said something not only coherent in itself but also connected…

Is ‘female’ still an insult?

14 November 2015 9:00 am

‘More deadly than the male,’ said my husband archly. He was knowingly quoting Kipling, though I don’t know why he…

The weird truth about the word ‘normal’

10 October 2015 9:00 am

‘Is Nicky Morgan too “normal” to be the next prime minister?’ asked someone in the Daily Telegraph. That would make…

How a prayer became business speak

4 July 2015 9:00 am

No doubt you, too, have had the feeling, upon glancing at an article in a paper picked up in a…

‘Basta’ must be the Queen’s English — a Queen used it

24 May 2014 9:00 am

My chickens do not usually come home to roost so rapidly. Only a fortnight ago I wrote that ‘some people use…

Why –y? The evolution of a suffix

3 May 2014 9:00 am

Hitler was ‘dark, shouty, moustachioed’ in Churchill’s eyes, or rather, that was Jonathan Rose’s view of how Churchill saw Hitler,…

Why did we ever spell jail gaol?

5 April 2014 9:00 am

‘Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200.’ said the Community Chest card…

Dot Wordsworth: How online shopping is changing English

11 January 2014 9:00 am

How do you play the lottery? The National Lottery website has a handy guide. Step No. 1 is: ‘Go into…

What’s in a Surname, by David McKie - review

21 September 2013 9:00 am

In South Korea, some 20 million people share just five surnames. Every one of Denmark’s top 20 surnames ends in…