This is the Words feed from The Oikofuge---exploring the origins and meanings of interesting words, with occasional forays into the topic of accented characters from other languages, or old letters from English.
The Oikofuge: Words
Publisher: Oikofuge
Message frequency: 0.11 / week
Message History
English is remarkably well-endowed with words that imply utter defeat in a sporting contest. Here are eleven.
A discussion of the word "careen", and its differing usage in American and British English---also "career" and "carom", for which it is sometimes used as a synonym
If the em dash is an indicator of text generated by AI, then Shakespeare, Swift, Ruskin and Joyce were AIs. (Hint: they almost certainly weren't.) Here's the story of the em dash and its uses.
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Luke 2:20, (King James Version) Luke’s is the only gospel that mentions the Annunciation to the Shepherds, by an unnamed angel bringing news of the birth of Jesus. But the shepherds, … href="https://oikofuge.com/tidings/" class="more-link" target="_blank...
A pint’s a pound the world around. Traditional American mnemonic A pint of water’s a pound and a quarter. Traditional British mnemonic There’s something odd going on there, isn’t there? I learned that British mnemonic at primary school, and I can still vividly recall my first encounter with the American version—in a Robert Heinlein juvenile … href="https://oikofuge.com/pints-...
