Where did your surname come from?
Our last names reveal the lives of our ancestors. Though it's not always obvious, they can tell us where they lived, what they did, what others thought of them, and…
Unboxing Mysterious Eye Miniatures | Secret Tokens of Forbidden Love 👁️
From clandestine romance and the Prince of Wales to pearls, tears, precious stones and the incredible skill of miniature painters, discover the history behind these beautiful, uncanny objects — and…
Your body parts have mad literal meanings.
In this video, we take a tour of the body and discover the surprising true meanings of our names for body parts. Find out why some words are ancient, some…
COLOUR WORDS: The astounding origins of “blue”, “black”, “orange”, “red” & other colors
Prepare to be amazed by the surprising origins of the English words for colours (or colors for our American friends).
The English words nobody can explain
Some of the most ordinary words in English have origins that no one can explain. Among them: "dog", "big", "bird", "donkey", "boy", "girl" and "puzzle".
Time words don’t mean what you think
What is a second the "second" of? What time should noon actually be? And how can "hour" and "year" mean the same thing (because they do!)?
Why Is It Called A Spelling “Bee”?
where lots of people gather socially to do a lot of work.
History Extra podcast: Sex and sensationalism: a history of the tabloids
Tabloid journalists often get a bad press. From publishing libellous headlines to hacking celebrities’ phones, recent years have not exactly done much to enhance Fleet Street’s reputation. But where did…
The etymology of “earthling”
and its interesting ending via Jess Zafarris
Things we tend to get wrong about language
everyone has an accent