Category Archives: English

understanding litotes is not rocket science

Posted on May 16, 2025 by agogo22
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Why is there an N in “passenger”?

Posted on May 14, 2025 by agogo22

[…] 🚃 Why do Brits say “transport” and Americans “transportation”? 🚊 What’s the difference between a train and a locomotive? 🚙 How do you actually pronounce Hyundai? These questions answered – and many more – in this transport[ation] special of … Continue reading →

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How the Black Death Saved the English Language

Posted on May 9, 2025 by agogo22

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

Posted on May 7, 2025 by agogo22

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

Posted on May 7, 2025 by agogo22

[…] Rob and Jess “pull out all the stops” in this episode explaining idiom origins. ✈️ Why do we say “balls to the wall” and “push the envelope”? 🐘 What’s so useless about a “white elephant”? 👕 Where were the … Continue reading →

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Is it a restroom or a loo?

Posted on April 30, 2025 by agogo22

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

Posted on April 11, 2025 by agogo22

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

Posted on April 2, 2025 by agogo22

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

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

Posted on March 26, 2025 by agogo22

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. 🆎 What’s the difference between a font and a … Continue reading →

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Where do swear words come from?

Posted on March 19, 2025 by agogo22

[…] 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. #️⃣ Where did the F word come from? 📍 Which place names originally contained swear words? … Continue reading →

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