Category Archives: word origins

Geography of the Earth in Specific “Terms”

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

Of late, I have been exploring words of which I was not familiar and in a variety of topics. Today, I bring you words dealing with geography. Many we are hearing something of on a daily basis on TV with many sounding the alarm for climate change. Mother Earth. Whose demise we can foresee. Most of us know, for example, something of a rainforest, a valley, topography, a mountain, a lagoon, and even a fjord (thank you to Disney for adding this word to kids’ vocabulary via “Frozen”). Yet, of late, I have heard some geographical terms of which I was not so familiar, as well as some I had not considered for more years than I can to confess. Perhaps you, also, could use a refresher course. Some of these I knew. Some are new to me and perhaps to you. Continue reading →

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Rotten Row: How This Fashionable Place Earned Such an Unusual Name?

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

During the Regency Era one of the places to see and be seen was a broad stretch of track running along the south side of Hyde Park in London. It was known as Rotten Row, not a very enticing name … Continue reading →

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Using Cradles Through The Ages

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

We all likely know something of “Rock-a-bye Baby“ as a nursery rhyme and lullaby. The melody is a variant of the song comes from an English satirical ballad called ‘Lillibullero,‘ a march that became popular in England at the time of … Continue reading →

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Words that “Snarl” and Words that “Purr”

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Regina Jeffers

My undergraduate degree was a comprehensive major (no minor) that covered English, speech, journalism, and theatre. As such, many years ago, I came across these terms: snarl-words and purr-words in a book on rhetoric that was one of my textbooks. … Continue reading →

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Author’s “Voice” ~ What is It?

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Regina Jeffers

Writers often hear another author warn them about losing their “voice.” But what exactly is “voice”? In reality, there are so many theories on this question that I could be here for years debating them all. I am of the … Continue reading →

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Doublespeak: Favorite Euphemisms or How I Learned Something of “Poppycock”

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Regina Jeffers

Euphemisms? We learn them in the most peculiar ways. I recall as a child that my mother was very upset with me when I used the word “poppycock.” You see, I thought myself quite sophisticated to learn a new word … Continue reading →

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Early History of the Oxford English Dictionary

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

Several times per week, I am looking at the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) for word origins or synonyms or a variety of other searches. Yet, until recently, I had not thought much about this fabulous resource’s beginnings. It took from … Continue reading →

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Pride and Prejudice and Nuance, a Guest Post from Leila Eye

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Regina Jeffers

Whenever you start to become a fan of something, that’s when you tend to pay attention to the nuances and all of the details involved. You start placing more importance on what makes something different rather than just what you … Continue reading →

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Rites of Mourning and the Recent Release of “Where There’s a FitzWILLiam Darcy, There’s a Way”

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

The mourning rites we customarily think of as being so strict during the Regency era, were actually those imposed by Queen Victoria after the death of her husband, Prince Albert. Victoria was known to wear black for many years and … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, book excerpts, book release, books, British history, eBooks, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Pride and Prejudice, reading, research, romance, tradtions, Vagary, Wales, word origins, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Deamed (or) Deemed (or) Damned (or) Dammed? To Curse or Not to Curse…

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Periodically in a story set in the Regency era, the occasion arises where a curse word would be appropriate for a character. However, how to use that word and who might utter it remains a decision most authors of the … Continue reading →

Posted in editing, Georgian England, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, Regency era, word origins, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments