sound

Of Sound Body and Mind

Niall O'Donnell 7 Comments

Did you ever wonder why we use the word sound with this meaning?

No? Well luckily for you, I have! Continue reading →

Moist

Niall O'Donnell 14 Comments

Ask a large enough group of English speakers what their least-favourite English word is, and the most common answer you’ll probably receive is moist. Continue reading →

Which Witch did the White Whale Whistle at?

Niall O'Donnell 6 Comments

Poor Wales, they put up a great fight, but a win for Portugal was a fair result, and at least they can be quite proud of getting to the semi-finals at all. Hearing the word Wales in the last few days made me think of the many childhood jokes based on the fact that Wales and Whales sound so similar.

You might have noticed that I’ve just said that Wales and whales sound similar. Not the same: similar. Hang on, you might be thinking: they sound identical! What’s he talking about!?

And you’re right: they are identical. But I’m also right: they’re similar. Isn’t English wonderful!? Continue reading →