Saturday, December 21, 2024

How Charles Dickens Shaped Our Vocabulary

From "whizz-bang" to "comfoozled," discover the quirky words that actually sprang from Charles Dickens' imagination.
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Charles Dickens
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Beyond "Dickensian": 7 Quirky Words Created by Charles Dickens

From "whizz-bang" to "comfoozled," discover the quirky words that actually sprang from Charles Dickens' imagination.

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fur hat saying Bah Humbug
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Why Do We Say "Bah, Humbug!"?

We know Scrooge's famous "Bah, humbug!" from "A Christmas Carol," but the phrase meant something more nuanced than simple grumpiness in Dickens' time.

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We Love Rock 'n' Roll — and the Language Around It

From "punk" to "fuzz," let's learn more about the particular lingo and slang born out of rock 'n' roll.

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Accents, Diacritical Marks, and Glyphs Concept on letter A's
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Why Doesn't English Have Accent Marks?

While accent marks provide clear pronunciation guides in many world languages, they're conspicuously absent in English. Why don't we use these marks?

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Why Do Brits Spell "Colour" With an "ou"?

Vowels aren't the only difference between British and American English, but these spelling changes have an interesting backstory.

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