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Monthly Archives: April 2015
Yesterday once more
You cannot get a clearer lesson from history than this. Substitute in the following speech from the British House of Commons from 121 years ago words such as Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, ISIL, Taliban and the rest and for Britain, replace … Continue reading
Why advertising agencies were invented
They say ‘sell the benefits’, but Floriline’s graphic realism small ad that ran for more than 20 years points to just how malodorous things must have been in the drawing room of the 19th century. This is why David Ogilvy, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 19th century, Advertising history, floriline, How smelly were the Victorians?, hygene
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Is there a rack where disused words are hung?
Is there a rack where disused words are hung like lost umbrellas, waiting for someone to claim and recycle them? Here’s a verb: to glimm. Sadly I am either much too young or much too old to ever utter it, … Continue reading
Posted in actonbooks
Tagged 19th century, changing definitions of words, glimming, social history, to glimm, words
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What are words worth?
‘Plump’ is an interesting word. I hear you say: “Isn’t ‘plump’ just the euphemism you awkwardly use to describe that fat kid to his parents’ face?” Fairy godmothers are plump; untermenschen are clinically obese. Well, no. It carries other meanings. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 19th century, elections, electoral reform, plumper, plumping, secret ballot, to plump for, words
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Who’s that (interesting) boy?
We are on a journey to find out why the word ‘interesting’ took on a special meaning for a short time between about 1800 and 1850 — and a meaning never yet defined in any dictionary. The epithet ‘interesting’ was … Continue reading
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Who’s that (interesting) girl?
Who doesn’t love a murder mystery, right? Especially a 200-year old murder? So it was that I was drawn to All Things Georgian and the tale of Elizabeth Shepherd or Sheppard. One thing led to another. I wasn’t convinced of … Continue reading
