June is National Dairy Month. (Stick with me.) Last weekend we went to a dairy festival and next Sunday dairy… Read more Rhubarb Through the Centuries
Category: Origins
Did You Know? Citrus Fruits
Did you know that most modern commercially available citrus fruits are descended from three “core species”: pomelo, citron, and mandarin?… Read more Did You Know? Citrus Fruits
Did You Know? Philadelphia Cream Cheese
When we were in Philly in March my sister-in-law said in passing that Philadelphia Cream Cheese doesn’t come from Philadelphia.… Read more Did You Know? Philadelphia Cream Cheese
White Elephants
On Friday we went to a white elephant party and naturally I needed to look up the origin of the… Read more White Elephants
Timeline of Electric Christmas Lights
I’ve been tracking how many days I “go outside for 23 in 2023” and I must admit it’s gotten harder… Read more Timeline of Electric Christmas Lights
Who Invented the Turducken?
Happy Thanksgiving! You’ve heard of the turducken, a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey? Turns out the… Read more Who Invented the Turducken?
Origins of Clichés (Part 6)
This week I looked up idioms that reference my favourite colour in The Dictionary of Clichés. I hope you enjoy… Read more Origins of Clichés (Part 6)
Origins of Clichés (Part 5)
More food idioms — this time dessert-themed! (Unless otherwise noted, quotations are taken from The Dictionary of Clichés.) Easy as… Read more Origins of Clichés (Part 5)
Origins of Clichés (Part 4)
I thought it would be fun to look up clichés about food and of course The Dictionary of Clichés contains… Read more Origins of Clichés (Part 4)
Origins of Clichés (Part 3)
In honour of our new addition, let’s look at some phrases that refer to babies! As before, the definitions are… Read more Origins of Clichés (Part 3)
Origins of Clichés (Part 2)
Last week I shared clichés based on storms and today I’ve chosen birds as the theme! Once again I started… Read more Origins of Clichés (Part 2)
Origins of Clichés (Part 1)
I’ve decided to start a summer series on the origins of clichés. My starting point will be The Dictionary of… Read more Origins of Clichés (Part 1)
Headlinese
When reading about telegraphese I found myself intrigued by headlinese as well. Both styles attempt to pack accurate meaning into… Read more Headlinese