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Bet they are eating their words now…
Everything that can be invented has been invented. Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the US Patent Office, in 1899. I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. Thomas J. Watson Snr, IBM...
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The Queen’s Gambit
I watched the Queen’s Gambit the day before The Crown came out. My husband was away for work, it was pouring with rain and I had a cold, so I was looking for something to watch. It was number 1 on...
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Did you know?
Pink was originally a colour for boys and blue was originally a colour for girls. Pink was seen as a version of red, a very masculine colour. And blue was a colour associated with icons of the Virgin...
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Aren’t these like…I don’t know.. hankies?
My father and all my uncles used to use hankies. Every Christmas, a very popular gift was a pack of hankies with his initial on. My mother used to wash my dad’s hankies by putting them in a pot of...
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Many Happy Returns
These days it is more common for people to say ‘Happy Birthday‘, but you still sometimes hear ‘Many Happy Returns’. A student asked me the other day what this phrase meant, as it is not obvious to...
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Everyday Things Invented By Accident
Botox Brandy Bubble wrap Champagne Chewing gum Chocolate Chip Cookies Coca Cola Cornflakes Dry cleaning Dynamite Fireworks Ice cream cones Ink-jet printers LSD Matches Microwave ovens Pacemakera...
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Common Misconceptions
Usually I search particular things on Wikipedia – information about episodes of a television series, the career path of famous people, etymology of words. I find what I am looking for and leave....
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Words with no equivalent in English
English has the wonderful word ‘defenestration’, which does not seem to occur in any other language. But on the other hand… Finnish has a word for pantsdrunk! If you are interested in more – here is a...
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Let’s talk about sauce
If I did use some kind of sauce, I would be B. But I am not really fond of sauces, dips, gravies or dressings. I prefer my food with nothing on it. Even pasta and rice. No sauce, not salt, no spice....
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Pink was for boys, blue was for girls…
Pink was originally a colour for boys and blue was originally a colour for girls. Pink was seen as a version of red, a very masculine colour. And blue was a colour associated with icons of the Virgin...
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Strange Human Behaviour
Sometimes the way we behave is really strange. In many ways the differences between men and women can be traced back to troglodyte (sounds less sexist than ‘caveman’) days when men were hunters and...
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Zarf
A zarf (plural: zarfs, zuruuf, zarves) aka coffee sleeves, coffee clutches, coffee cozies, hot cup jackets, coffee collars, and cup holders, are roughly cylindrical sleeves that fit tightly over...
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Scones
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA The word scone derives from sgonn, which is Gaelic for ‘a large mouthful. Made from fine white flour, sour milk (or buttermilk), and a raising agent, scones are baked on a...
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Nothing sucks like Electrolux
In class last week I was talking with students about how branding sometimes goes wrong. An example was the ‘Nothing Sucks Like Electrolux’ slogan which was an example of bad timing. The slogan came...
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An antidote to toxic positivity
I am always tickled by these kinds of memes, rather than the toxically positive ones. Their ‘acid with a touch of evil’ always cheers me up.
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