Category Archives: word origins

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 →

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Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

Go Through Fire and Water ~ English for Students tells us, “Go through fire and water means to face any peril. This phrase originally referred to the medieval practice of trial by ordeal which could take the form of making an accused … Continue reading →

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Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

 Jumping the Broom/Broomstick – This is a ceremony dating back to the 1600s and derived from Africa. Dating back to slave days, jumping the broom together has been part of weddings for couples who want to honor that tradition. It also … Continue reading →

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The Lovely World of the English Language ~ Do You Know These Idioms?

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

Are you like me? Do you wonder from where a particular phrase originates? I am often in a position to search out a phrase or a word to determine whether it is too modern for my writings set in the … Continue reading →

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Are You Familiar With These Words and Phrases?

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Spillikin ~ The Oxford Living Dictionaries gives us: [treated as singular] A game played with a heap of small rods of wood, bone, or plastic, in which players try to remove one at a time without disturbing the others, while Wikitionary … Continue reading →

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Are You Familiar with These Words and Phrases?

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Bell the Cat ~ To hang a bell around a cat’s neck to provide a warning. Figuratively, the expression refers to any task that is difficult or impossible to achieve. This explanation comes from Phrase Finder. This expression ultimately derives from the … Continue reading →

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Are You Familiar with These Words and Phrases?

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

I love unusual words and phrases and often make note of them as I read. Today, we have a nice mix.  “As Nice as Ninepence“ means neat, tidy, well-ordered. Phrase Finder tells us that the origin of the phrase may … Continue reading →

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