Posts

Where does the word #hashtag come from?

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Hashtags are the # symbols used on Twitter and other social media, like Instagram and Facebook.

What does inside baseball mean?

Inside baseball  is a term popular with political and media analysts.

What is the 'be all and end all'? Where does it come from?

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The 'be-all-and-end-all' is now used to refer to a decisive life-changing event. It is usually used in the negative e.g. Your exams are important but are not the be-all-and-all.

What is schmutter?

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schmutter [ˈʃmʌtə]  noun

Where does the word OK come from?

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The word OK entered American English in the 19th century and is now one of the most popular in the language. But there is little agreement as to its origins.

What is an octothorpe?

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In the 1960s engineers at Bell Labs were designing the first touch keyboard telephones.

How did Japanese words enter the English language?

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Oxford English Dictionary editor, John Simpson, explains how Japanese words entered English in three distinct historical phases.