Language & Culture
Shall we go to Upperthong? Funny place names in Yorkshire
1. Wetwang Any list of funny place names in Yorkshire has to start with the motherlode of them all: Wetwang. Stop that sniggering at the
22. May 2026
Tag: Britain
Language & Culture
Err nerr! 19 Hull dialect words & phrases
Discover the wonderful world of Hull dialect! From breadcakes to croggies, explore the unique words and phrases that make Hull-speak unique. —– 1. Bains Young
16. April 2026
Language & Culture
Sloshed! 53 British words for being drunk
The British love a good drink. And, one might say, the more a certain phenomenon occurs in a certain culture, the more words that culture
24. November 2025
Language & Culture
Victorian words and phrases from Britain
Take a trip back to Britain’s golden age with these lovely Victorian words and phrases —– Some Victorian words… Bricky If someone in Victorian Britain
21. February 2025
Bits & Bobs
Girl boss feminism – what did it ever do for me?
The vision of female success it projected was far too narrow —– 1980s Britain. The age of yuppies, shoulder pads, hairdos that looked like flocks
10. January 2025
Sport & Health
Alcohol & I: a brief history of my boozing
1990 – 2024 —– Scanning the news over the new year, I read that, according to new research by the OECD, more than a third
5. January 2025
Language & Culture
What the British say and what they mean: a brief guide
What the British say and what they mean can be two very different things. And the problem is them, not you. —– “Katharine, can you
16. September 2024
Language & Culture
What a kerfuffle! 10 funny words in British English
“What a palaver!” I shouldn’t be laughing right now, as I am talking to my sister about a fall she just had while out running,
16. November 2023
At Home
King Charles III’s Coronation: A Review
As a lifelong monarchist, there was no way in the world I was going to miss the Coronation of King Charles III. Well, now all
11. May 2023
Language & Culture
“If-” by Rudyard Kipling: a very British poem?
As I wrote a short while ago, my new year’s resolution for 2023 is to learn one poem a month off by heart. Asking friends
5. February 2023