Curated Video
Where Alcoholic Drinks Got Their Names
There are no shortage of wacky names for alcoholic beverages, from Fuzzy Navels, to Sex on the Beaches, to the NSFW AMF. Humans have been enjoying alcoholic beverages since the dawn of civilization so there's plenty of linguistic...
Great Big Story
Wasei Eigo, when English meets Japanese creativity
Explore how Wasei Eigo transforms English into uniquely Japanese expressions.
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 3.3 Word Nerd: "doom"
This video explores the evolution of the word "doom" from its Latin roots to its modern connotations of ruin and destruction. The video highlights Shakespeare's use of the term in "Romeo and Juliet" and explains its historical...
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Romeo and Juliet 3.1 Word Nerd: "addle"
This video explores the historical evolution of the term "addle." It details the linguistic journey from ancient Greek and Roman misinterpretations to its adoption into the English language, symbolizing a lack of clarity or utility. The...
Curated Video
Macbeth 2.3 Word Nerd: Confusion
This video explores the etymology of the word "confusion," particularly in its usage in Act 2, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." The analysis delves into the historical and linguistic origins of the term, highlighting how its meaning...
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Hamlet 1.3 Word Nerd: Husbandry
Originally, the term "husband" referred to someone who owned a home and land, or who managed property on a large estate, before it evolved to denote the male partner in a marriage. The concept of husbandry initially encompassed the...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.3 Word Nerd: Habit
The word "habit" originates from the Latin term for having or holding, traditionally referring to one's demeanor, appearance, or even clothing. In contemporary English, while its usage to denote clothing is largely archaic, specific...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.3 Word Nerd: Censure
The words "censor" and "censure" originate from a Latin term meaning to judge or assess. In contemporary usage, "censor" refers to the act of reviewing and possibly removing objectionable content, such as in films, whereas "censure"...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.3 Dull Palms
Polonius advises against wasting time by socially engaging with every new, inexperienced individual, likening this to dulling one's hand from excessive handshaking. He uses the metaphor of "unfledged" young birds who have not yet grown...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.3 Discussion: Household Management
"Borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry". Let's examine the language and context of this phrase to understand what Shakespeare means by this. In his time, husbandry meant household financial management so this phrase is a commentary on...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.2 Word Nerd: Merely
The Latin root of the word mirely meant pure or unmixed. The original meaning of merely had a positive connotation, it meant completely or totally and that's how Shakespeare uses it here. However, in Elizabethan English it was already...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.2 Word Nerd: Canon
Explore the evolution of the word "canon," which began as a term for laws or decrees issued by the Christian Church, then referred to the official list of Biblical books, and eventually denoted a collection of authenticated works by a...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.2 Solid vs Sullied
This video explores the textual discrepancies in Hamlet's soliloquy, focusing on the variation between "too too solid flesh" and "too too sullied flesh." It highlights the existence of three primary sources of the play—two early quartos...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.2 Metaphor: Nature's Garden
Hamlet's metaphor of the world as an "unweeded garden" reflects his view of it as ugly and disappointing, overrun with unchecked nature. In Shakespeare's time, the wildness of nature was seen negatively, associated with brutality,...
Curated Video
Hamlet 1.3 Word Nerd: Vulgar
In this video, a French woman criticizes Americans for being vulgar, clarifying that this was not about the use of crude language but rather about a lack of refinement and commonness in tastes and behaviors. This view aligns with the...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream: French Crown 1.2.087
In his remark, Quince uses the expression “French crown” to refer, not to a French coin, but to the top of the head of an everyday Frenchman. Quince says that some of these heads “have no hair at all.” His remark alludes to the fact that...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 5.1.202 Word Nerd: Ninny
The word "innocent" originates from the Latin prefix "in-" (not) and the verb "nocere" (to do harm), initially meaning someone who does no harm. By the time of Shakespeare, "innocent" had evolved to describe someone naive due to youth....
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 5.1.046 Eunuch
The term "eunuch" refers to a castrated man. It was originally used in ancient kingdoms where eunuchs served as guards for the ruler's harem, ensuring they would not engage with the women they protected. Additionally, there was a...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 4.1.55 Word Nerd: Orient Pearls
Titania places a flowery wreath on Bottom's head, and Oberon remarks that the dewdrops on the flowers, resembling tears, suggest the flowers are lamenting their dishonor in adorning Bottom's donkey head. He compares these to pearls,...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 3.2.214 Heraldry
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helena uses wordplay and heraldry to symbolize the deep connection between herself and Hermia, likening them to "two seeming bodies but one heart," indicating their close friendship. She references heraldry,...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 3.2.203 Word Nerd: Artificial
The term "artificial" originates from the Latin "artificium," meaning craftsmanship or artistry, which was its initial meaning in English. Nowadays, "artificial" typically refers to anything man-made, often carrying a negative...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 3.2.158 Word Nerd: Conjure
The word "conjure" comes from the Latin words for "with" and "oath," initially meaning to accomplish something through a sacred oath. By Shakespeare's era, it evolved to refer specifically to summoning devils or spirits by using a sacred...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 3.1.126 Cuckoo
The cuckoo bird is named after the sound it makes. Its behavior of the female laying eggs in the nests of males other than her partner has led to the term "cuckold," referring to a man whose wife has been unfaithful. In A Midsummer...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 2.1.92 Animated Note: Proud River
In A Midsumer Night's Dream, Titania describes her quarrel with Oberon as disrupting the natural world, causing mists to pull water from the sea and flood rivers, which she personifies as becoming "proud and arrogant." This video...