Category Archives: English

Why is there an N in “passenger”?

[…] ๐Ÿšƒ Why do Brits say “transport” and Americans “transportation”? ๐ŸšŠ What’s the difference between a train and a locomotive? ๐Ÿš™ How do you actually pronounce Hyundai? These questions answered โ€“ and many more โ€“ in this transport[ation] special of … Continue reading

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How the Black Death Saved the English Language

Before the Black Death of 1348 the language of power in England was Anglo-Norman French. The plague changed everything. Sign up for The Rambler newsletter here. http://eepurl.com/izRKww It’s full of interesting insights and stories about the English language and it’s … Continue reading

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Linguist’s predictions for future English

One linguist (who in his day job specializes in Old Norse) looks at current trends in English and extrapolates into the future a little. Jackson Crawford, Ph.D.: Sharing real expertise in Norse language and myth with people hungry to learn, … Continue reading

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Why do we say “as mad as a hatter”? | IDIOM ORIGINS

[…] Rob and Jess “pull out all the stops” in this episode explaining idiom origins. โœˆ๏ธ Why do we say “balls to the wall” and “push the envelope”? ๐Ÿ˜ What’s so useless about a “white elephant”? ๐Ÿ‘• Where were the … Continue reading

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Is it a restroom or a loo?

Let’s explore British English and American English. In another transatlantic war of words, Rob (a Brit) and Jess (an American) debate the differing words for the same things either side of the pond. For our new Channel Memberships click “Join” … Continue reading

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The Prefix That’s Secretly Everywhere

HELP SUPPORT NAME EXPLAIN ON PATREON: / nameexplain INSTAGRAM: / nameexplainyt FACEBOOK GROUP: / 248812236869988 THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@nameexplainyt BOOK: http://bit.ly/originofnames MERCH: https://teespring.com/stores/name-exp… Thank you to all my Patrons for supporting the channel! SOURCES & FURTHER READING Cata Prefix: https://affixes.org/alpha/c/cata-.html Word Origins … Continue reading

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How do you pronounce lieutenant? | MILITARY WORDS

[…] There’s fightin’ talk in this episode of Words Unravelled, in which Jess and Rob discuss words of warcraft. ๐Ÿ”ซ Which woman are all guns named after? ๐Ÿช– Where does the word “war” come from? ๐Ÿ‘ฎ Is lieutenant pronounced loo-tenant … Continue reading

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Why do we mind our Ps and Qs? | PRINTING TERMS

In this printing special of Words Unravelled, Jess proves herself a font of knowledge on names for typefaces and Rob makes a big impression with the history of the printing press. ๐Ÿ†Ž What’s the difference between a font and a … Continue reading

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Where do swear words come from?

[…] It’s here: the much-requested swearing episode of Words Unravelled. Join Rob and Jess as they explore the origins of all manner of profanity. #๏ธโƒฃ Where did the F word come from? ๐Ÿ“ Which place names originally contained swear words? … Continue reading

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Which flower makes you wet the bed? | FLOWER NAME ORIGINS

Welcome to another bloomin’ wonderful episode of Words Unravelled. This time, Rob and Jess are discussing the origins of all manner of flower name. ๐ŸŒปWhich flower makes you wet the bed? ๐Ÿ‘๏ธWhich flower’s name means “day’s eye”? ๐ŸŒนWhat is the … Continue reading

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