Tag Archives: word choices

Who Is Persuaded in Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

 Jane Austen writes plot-driven masterpieces, and all her God-given skills come together in Persuasion. In Persuasion we find a twist of pathos, not present in her other novels. We can view Austen’s growth as a writer. She provides her reader … 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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Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

Inexpressibles ~ Etymology Compare to unmentionables ‎(“underwear”). Geri Walton at her Unique Histories from the 18th and 19th Centuries tells us “That part of the dress which it is now unlawful to name, seems of old to have had 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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“X” Does Not Always Mark the Spot

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Recently, I spent a delightful morning counting words in Pride and Prejudice. Why? You may ask: Regina, do you not have enough to do with your retirement years than to sit around counting how many times Jane Austen used the word … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, writing | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Dead as a Doornail. The “doornail” is the plate or knocker upon which the hammer of a door knocker strikes. Phrases.org gives us this explanation on the origin of the phrase. In 1350,  William Langland used the phrase in a translation … Continue reading →

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From Where Does That Phrase Come?

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

Catch Word is a word under the right-hand side of the last line on a book page that repeats the first word on the following page – circa 1736. It was commonly used in printing. The phrase has come into … Continue reading →

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Word Origins? Are These Ones You’ve Used Incorrectly?

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

We had some great discussions on Facebook over the last patch of words I included in a post on word origins. Let us see if you find any of these appealing? Escort – This is a late 16th Century word … Continue reading →

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Writing Historical Fiction? Should You Use That Particular Word?

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

I admit it: I am a bit of a word geek. I am fascinated with how words came into the English language. Some words make sense in their derivation, and others not so much so. Below are some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Regency era, word origins | Tagged , , | 2 Comments