By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Where does the word mayonnaise come from? Many people will confidently say they know the answer, but perhaps the matter is a little more complex – and a little more interesting – than is widely believed.
Before we plunge ourselves into the origin of ‘mayonnaise’, then, let’s make it a multiple-choice quiz question.
Where does the word ‘mayonnaise’ come from?
a) The port of Mahon
b) The French manier
c) The town of Bayonne
d) Nobody’s quite sure
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Anyone who loves nonsense literature can surely tell us the origins of the rather wonderful word ‘slithy’. But let’s make it a little more interesting and turn it into a multiple-choice quiz question. Who gave us the word ‘slithy’?
a) A man named Shakespeare
b) A man named Whately
c) A man named Brest
d) A man named Carroll
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Where does the word ‘alphabet’ originally come from? Let’s begin by posing the question as a quiz. We’ll make it multiple-choice so it’s (potentially) a bit easier.
So, here goes: where does the word ‘alphabet’ come from?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
What does the word orange literally mean? What is the derivation or origin of orange? The word’s etymology is interesting, and also more than a little mysterious, so let’s take a closer look at the origins of the word orange.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Why is the left-hand side of a ship known as ‘port’, and why is the right-hand side of a ship known as ‘starboard’? What are the origins of these universally known words? And what do they have to do with the word ‘posh’?