Furlough: what it means & where it comes from
I've blogged about this for Collins dictionaries, so I thought I'd post the link here. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/word-lovers-blog/new/furlough-a-military-word-on-civvy-street,616,HCB.html
Fulsome is as fulsome does. What does fulsome ‘mean’?
7-minute read What you need to know if you ain’t got time/inclination to read any further: fulsome praise, apologies, tributes and dedications might be a)…
Continue reading → Fulsome is as fulsome does. What does fulsome ‘mean’?
Penguin awareness, penguin suits, Penguin books & Welsh
5-minute read (and every second a joy) Penguins It’s #penguinawarenessday today. Which is a jolly good thing since, I suspect, most people other than Pingu…
Continue reading → Penguin awareness, penguin suits, Penguin books & Welsh
Catfights and Dogfights and Gender
Of stereotyped animals There are clear patterns in the use of gendered animal metaphors and images that mirror larger societal prejudices of thinking and acting.…
Till the cows come home: origins and examples
What about that phrase ‘till the cows come home’? Why don’t people just say what they mean, which is either ‘forever’ or ‘for an indefinitely…
Continue reading → Till the cows come home: origins and examples
Thatcherism on steroids, nonsense on stilts, ego on wheels et alia
The Right Honourable Member for Islington North recently made a highly emotive campaign speech (4 November) in which, after mentioning the by now clichéd chlorinated…
Continue reading → Thatcherism on steroids, nonsense on stilts, ego on wheels et alia
As fit as a flea and a trout and a butcher’s dog
7-minute read I’ve got a bee in my bonnet at the moment about animal imagery, so when I read someone being described as fit as…
Continue reading → As fit as a flea and a trout and a butcher’s dog
