Words Trivia Quiz #3
How well do you know the English language? Whether or not you are a native speaker, take this quiz to find out – and enjoy a good opportunity to learn a few funny vocabulary facts at the same time.
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Word of the Day #5 – Behemotian
When I was researching brobdingnagian, the previous Word of the Day, I also looked up its synonyms and found plethora of adjectives that would make perfect candidates for the next Word of the Day. Amongst the few words that caught my eyes – and made it on my Word of the Day candidates list – this one has an especially rich history. It dates back to a time when monsters and mythical creatures were still thought to roam the earth…
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Word of the Day #4 – Mellifluous
Let’s enrich our vocabulary with yet another amazing word. The word I picked for today’s Word of the Day is an especially beautiful word. I chose it because I loved its spelling, its pronunciation and its sweet etymology (and I thought it was funny because it sounded a bit like cauliflower). I most especially appreciate words that sound like a mix between the gurgle of a mountain stream and the sweet richness of a chocolate river, that’s why I love…
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When brands speak emoji
Having studied literature, I always felt strongly about language: I fancy beautiful long old-fashioned words or any words that is slightly out of our usual day to day vocabulary. As a matter of fact “pulchritudinous” and “tintinnabulation” are two of my favourite words. As a firm advocate of perfect spelling and grammar, I am allergic to misspelling. Therefore, you shouldn’t be too surprised to learn that text language is one of my biggest pet peeves. To my great dismay, it…
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Words Trivia Quiz #1
How well do you know the English language? Whether or not you are a native speaker, take this quiz to find out – and enjoy a good opportunity to learn a few funny vocabulary facts at the same time.
Read more >
Of the importance of words
In 44BC Roman philosopher and political theorist Cicero wrote this verse: “Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea linguae” in an essay titled De Officiis (which can be translated as On Duties or On Obligations). The first words of this verse, Cedant arma togae, basically mean “Let arms yield to the toga”. They can be understood literally as “let military power give way to civil power” but also hold a deeper meaning “words are more powerful than weapons”. As a brilliant orator,…
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Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #5)
Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ? Test your knowledge thanks to the fifth part of the True or False series. In 1911, car dealer George Whitaker meets car racing enthusiast Samuel Rootes through common friends. Rootes also happens to be the heir of the Bamford factories, a bicycle business located in suburban London. George and Samuel make fast friends and in 1913 they decide to produce their own vehicles by turning…
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A History of English Pub Names
A pint, a packet of crisps and a cheerful owner – even the notoriously ugly carpets of local English pubs hold a special place in the hearts of the English and these grand establishments are beginning to crop up over the channel in Europe. Besides the décor and frequent large ‘English Pub’ signs to clarify, one of the biggest giveaways is their names. If you’ve visited the nation, chances are you caught a glimpse of a Royal Oak on your…
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Word of the Day #3 – Brobdingnagian
I discovered today’s Word of the Day pretty recently, two days ago to be exact. I was perusing my old dictionary in search of synonyms for “gigantic” – let’s face it, “gigantic” is so unoriginal – when it caught my attention. My first thought was “Whaaatt?!?”, quickly followed by “Wait, how do you pronounce that?” and “What the heck does that even mean?”. My obvious bewilderment was a good sign as it meant I had found the perfect candidate to…
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Comment t’appelles-tu ?
Globalisation is widely associated with the English language, the common language of the business world and social media, however despite English being the most used language online, it is still just one of over a thousand languages spoken in the world. Zimbabwe alone has sixteen official languages, so when we are to imagine the release of a new foreign brand in Zimbabwe, we can safely assume that on first sight the locals wouldn’t all pronounce it in the same way….
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