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Tag Archives: etymology
Got a Word Named after You? Eponyms
Another Amaze-ing Words Wednesday, and I’m ready to enter the labyrinth of language where surprises await us each week. It’s time to feature another kind of word defined by its etymology: eponyms. Eponyms are words named after a person–real or … Continue reading
Fast Food Names: Where Did They Come From?
Y’all know that I love tracing the etymology of words, phrases, nicknames, and much more. For today’s Amaze-ing Words Wednesday, we’re going to take a look at 10 top fast food restaurants (in the top 15 most popular according to … Continue reading
Posted in Amazing Words Wednesday
Tagged Arby's name, Author Julie Glover, Burger King name, Chick-fil-A name, etymology, fast-food restaurant names, Jack in the Box name, Julie Glover, KFC name, McDonald's name, name origins, restaurant names, SONIC name, Subway name, Taco Bell name, top 10 fast-food restaurants, Wendy's name
13 Comments
The Cat’s Out of the Bag: Idioms
Welcome to Amaze-ing Words Wednesday, where we enter the labyrinth of language and look for something interesting among the hedges. Today’s topic is in honor of our feline friends. I was going to do a post with idioms that included both … Continue reading
Posted in Amazing Words Wednesday
Tagged cat idioms, etymology, feline idioms, fun with words, idioms, Julie Glover, language, pet idioms, words
25 Comments
6 Ways to Say “You Spineless Weakling”
For my Truly Colorful Idioms post, I looked at the origins of words and phrases which included color in them. Among those was “yellow-belly” – a term meaning coward. Writer Catie Rhodes commented that she wondered where we got the words “sissy” … Continue reading
Posted in Amazing Words Wednesday
Tagged etymology, fun with words, Julie Glover, language, lily liver, nancy, pansy, sissy, wimp, wuss
13 Comments
Truly Colorful Idioms
Idioms are one of my favorite things to look up and discover their origins. Idioms are phrases or sayings which have an underlying and generally understood meaning apart from the literal words themselves. For instance, “dead as a doornail” or … Continue reading
Posted in Amazing Words Wednesday
Tagged Albert Jack, blackmail, caught red-handed, color phrases, English, etymology, green with envy, idiom etymology, idiom origin, idioms, in the pink, Julie Glover, language, once in a blue moon, origin of phrases, paint the town red, phrases, red herring, red-handed, Roni Loren, The Phrase Finder, tickled pink, white elephant, white knight, word origins, words, yellow-belly
15 Comments
Merci Beaucoup: Borrowing from the French
One of the great things about English is that we have no compunction about borrowing from anyone else. Our language is a hodge-podge of words from various regions. For today’s Amaze-ing Words Wednesday, I’d like to thank the French for … Continue reading
Posted in Amazing Words Wednesday
Tagged Author, English language, etymology, French words in English, fun with language, Julie Glover, language, words
13 Comments
Where Did That Come From? Toponyms
On Amaze-ing Words Wednesday, we enter the sometimes confusing but always intriguing world of the English language. One of the curiosities of language is how words are created and evolve. The study of word origins is etymology, and today’s topic … Continue reading
Posted in Amazing Words Wednesday
Tagged Author, etymology, fun with words, John Bemelmans Marciano, Julie Glover, language, toponymity, toponyms, word origins
26 Comments
