Etymology
Word origin stories

FAST COMPANY

Why is the same word used both for "going quickly" and "not eating?" [D.R.H.]
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Word origin stories

ETYMOLOGY and SPELLING

When English begins to acquire a standard spelling the fixing happens largely in two institutions: Guildhall, the London city hall; and the Chancery, which handled royal business. [D.R.H.]
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Word origin stories

SEVEN CANONS of ETYMOLOGY

modified and abbreviated from W.W. Skeat, 1879
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ACRONYMPHOMANIA

"We have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo Possum
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The IMPOSSIBILITY of a DICTIONARY

"Whoever lusts after coherence lusts after lies." - Howard Jacobson, Jan. 16, 2015
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OUT of TIME

When did the English discover the Anglo-Saxons? [D.R.H.]
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CLOUD of UNKNOWING

This was written in a white heat some years ago and probably is incomprehensible. [D.R.H.]
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MODERN MAN

If I had three historical literary figures over for dinner? Stendhal, Keats, Emily Dickinson. [D.R.H.]
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TRIVIA

"one warm line through a land so wide and savage" [D.R.H.]
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