Words from the 1940s
It was a decade of war and peace: the first half monopolized by worldwide conflict, the second tentatively reaching out towards ways of avoiding a repetition of the first. Together…
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December 2018 update: taffety tarts enter the OED
This month taffety tarts join the OED’s wordlist for the first time. Defined by the dictionary as ‘a sweet tart consisting of thin pastry filled with slices of apple or…
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South African additions to the OED
South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation, a name that celebrates the modern country’s acceptance of and pride in its multi-ethnic and multicultural identity. This diversity of cultures, traditions,…
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December 2018 Update: to drain the swamp, with one’s bum in the butter
The latest update of the OED adds more than 600 new words, senses, and phrases, including the selection of items described in greater detail below. The full list of entries can be…
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An interview with Daisy Johnson, author of Everything Under
Author and OED ambassador Daisy Johnson recently visited our Oxford HQ to talk to us about her debut novel Everything Under, an eerie retelling of the Oedipus myth set on…
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Talking and listening on a quiet street in Barnsley
Poet, playwright, author, and broadcaster Ian McMillan muses on the localisms of his South Yorkshire hometown Barnsley in this blog post for our Words Where You Are public appeal for regionalisms,…
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