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beagle
A beagle named Miss P took home this year’s Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Show. Beagles, of course, are known for their noses–and their barks, which may well have given them their very name. Beagle The Oxford English Dictionary first attests beagle around 1475 as begle. While they can’t quite track down its ultimate origin, etymologists do have Read more.
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Dense, shiny meat removal: It’s “Mardi Gras”
Before observing the fasts and penances of Lent, today many Catholics (and other revelers) will celebrate with the feasts and parties of Mardi Gras. As you probably well know, Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” but why do the French call Mardi Gras Mardi Gras? Mardi The French name for “Tuesday” and with an Read more.
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OxfordWords guest post: culprit
Be sure to visit the OxfordWords blog, where I’ve guest-authored another post. This time, it’s on origin of culprit: Amnesia, disguises, and mistaken identities? No, these are not the plot twists of a blockbuster thriller or bestselling page-turner. They are the story of the word culprit. At first glance, the origin of culprit looks simple enough. Mea culpa, culpable, exculpate, and the more obscure inculpate: these words come from Read more.
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measles
The recent outbreak of measles in the United States is incredible for a lot of reasons, especially since the country declared the disease officially eliminated here in 2000. But the word measles–and the disease, to be sure–has been around for a long time. Measles The first ‘case’ of measles in the English language was documented as early as Read more.
Mashed Radish 