I live near an area in Dublin called Ringsend. A slightly unusual name obviously, but for someone reason I only thought today about how the name doesn’t really make any sense whatsoever.
How can a ring have an end? The whole point of rings is that they don’t have an end. So where does Ringsend come from then? Continue reading
I had a moment of inspiration today about the word ocarina. In case you’re unaware of what it is, an ocarina is small wind instrument that probably became a lot more famous around the world after it was prominently featured in the 1998 N64 videogame The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Of course, being as cool as I am, I was already familiar with the instrument, as it had featured as a useable item in the 1993 Gameboy game The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
Anyway, today I saw a picture of an ocarina somewhere, and it made me wonder if the word’s related to geese somehow. Continue reading
I always begin these posts by saying I came across this expression recently.
I didn’t though. Instead, while reading something, I came across something like He cried like a crocodile. And the fact that it wasn’t the specific expression crocodile tears is what caught my eye, and actually made me think about that expression, and where it might come from. Continue reading
Hello there! It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, I know, but I’ve been pretty busy lately. And I thought it’d be better to take a break and not write anything sub-par or forced while tired. And you’ve got plenty of old articles to read anyway.
Anyway, this is one of those times when I started writing without much of an idea in my head, but as soon as I started, I thought about that opening phrase: Hello there! Continue reading
I’m often curious about the word lady. Especially the fact that sometimes it’s Lady. Continue reading
How do you pronounce that word? Continue reading
Yesterday I wrote about how the word confessor can refer either to someone who hears or makes a confession. While the word might seem unusual in this regard, there are a surprising number of words in the English language which have contrary meanings. Consider the following sentences: Continue reading
English-Language Thoughts 