Tag Archives: phrases

Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

I was reading a period piece recently and came across the words and phrases below. How many of these do you use? Verge – British: A grass edging such as that by the side of a road or path Embarazo – … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era, Victorian era, word play | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

I am all about finding how words came into usage. How about you?  Crug is a Welsh word meaning hillock, cairn or barrow. Crug Hywel (called the Table Mountain in English) is a flat-topped hill at the southern edge of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Are You Familiar with These Words and Phrases?

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

We have a variety of words that mean “stupid or foolish person” Ninnyhammer – First Known Use: 1592 Berk – The usage is dated to the 1930s. A shortened version of Berkeley Hunt, the hunt based at Berkeley Castle in … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Uncategorized, word play | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

From Where Does That Phrase Come?

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Regina Jeffers

This first one is for Brian, who spoke of a preference for the word in one of my recent posts. Codswallop ~ Unknown, attested from 1959 episode of UK TV series Hancock’s Half Hour. The writers (Galton and Simpson) state that … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, language choices, legends and myths, Uncategorized, word play | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments