‘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. If you think about it, you ‘plump’ up cushions, though I guess that may be… Continue reading What are words worth?
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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 used a lot during those years. It seems, in context, to describe a characteristic of… Continue reading Who’s that (interesting) boy?
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 the author’s conclusion that this was motiveless. It did not seem to fit with the… Continue reading Who’s that (interesting) girl?
Gervase Thompson – a most unfortunate death (1781)
There is truth when they say no good deed ever goes unpunished, but this is just plain tragic for everyone concerned
The story of ace detective Cora Strayer
Thanks to Strange Company for this and I await the movie… Strange Company: The Adventures of Miss Cora Strayer, Private Detective
Stanley says “Less passion from less protein”
February 22 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Stanley Green. “OK, move on, nothing to see here”. In a year of round figure anniversaries — 800 since Magna Carta; 600 since Agincourt; 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo finally ended Napoleon’s career; Dunkirk (75); the end of the Second War (70) and… Continue reading Stanley says “Less passion from less protein”
Declare your pigeon, monsieur, or else
Before the EU made all the rules, the French made all their own. They love rules so much, it’s almost pathological. It is September 1885 and Madame Defarge has been seen hanging around the pigeon loft… Can you envisage just how many civil servants were kept in work compiling and updating the record of the… Continue reading Declare your pigeon, monsieur, or else
Careful with that axe Eugenia
I recommend this blog from Strange Company about… well, as (s)he says: “For me, one of the innumerable joys of the “Illustrated Police News” is that while they did report on a lot of women who were victims of the domestic abuse, robberies, natural disasters and ‘orrible murders that were a staple of this august… Continue reading Careful with that axe Eugenia