Why 'Dutch courage'?
To have Dutch courage is to lose fear or inhibition by drinking alcohol. There are two main theories as to it origin
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Where does the word shampoo come from?
Shampoo is the Hindi/Urdu word chāmpo for a head massage with oil. The first known usage in English was in 1792 from a surprising source.
What is a humble brag?
"I am well aware that I am the 'umblest person going," said Uriah Heep, modestly . Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
How fast is the English language expanding?
Recent research suggests that the English language has doubled in size over the last century.
Five ways Dickens expanded the English language
After Shakespeare, Charles Dickens has been the writer who most expanded the vocabulary we use.
Words with the most separate meaning?
Here are the top ten words with the most entries in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Why Orwell did not like Esperanto?
Polish linguist and pacifist, L.L. Zamenhof invented Esperanto ('hope) which he believed could be an international lingua franca or second language.