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Clue: Theseus, Agatha Christie, & Fingerprints
From Greek myth to detective fiction: the origin of the word "Clue" Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>us For further explorations...
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Reviewing the Lewis & Short Latin Dictionary
A review of the Lewis & Short Latin Dictionary, explaining its publication history and its usefulness for medievalists. The companion video, unboxing and reviewing the Oxford Latin Dictionary, is hereref='https://youtu.be/9bUynpJ9veM'...
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Fossil: The Language & History of Paleontology
Digging up the classical roots of the word "fossil", and the origins of palaeontology and geology. Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot' target='_blank'...
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Why Do Word Meanings Evolve? Evolution & Semantic Change
What are the mechanisms of semantic change? And how does the etymology of the word 'evolution' reflect these changes? It turns out that the history of book production ties all these things together! #evolution #etymology #WeCreateEdu...
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Freebooting: Piracy on the High Seas & the World Wide Web
How "freebooting" went from swashbuckling to social media. The etymology of words for piracy, the coinage of a new term for illicit uploads of videos, and the history of fictional portrayals of pirates on screen. For more on the word...
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The Gimlet, Gin, & Tonic: Colonialism, Medicine, and Cocktails
The history of the Gimlet, and its connections to early medicine, colonialism, and the rise of the multinational corporation. Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot'...
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Widows & Orphans: The Endnotes
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Album: Word History Connections
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The History of the Americano Cocktail
Vermouth, Campari, and the Americano Way: the etymology of the Americano & Negroni cocktails takes us from Visigothic rulers and Latin kings to Italian adventurers and the origin of the American dollar. Small correction: The name "Arthur...
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Beef: Word History Connections
The history of the word "beef", and its connection to war and conquest. Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>us For further...
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Loaf: Word History Connections
The history of the word "loaf", and the cultural importance of bread. Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>us For further...
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What's the Earliest English Word?
We're looking for the earliest surviving written English word--is it in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts, on artifacts from the migration period, or in Latin? For more on the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England, take a look at my collaboration with...
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Ambition: Word History Connections
The roots of ‘ambition’ and other political vocabulary show the way language changes with society's changing values. For further explorations of these subjects, check out Thorneloe University's courses in the Humanities, including "Greek...
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Costume: The Language of Fashion
The custom of costumes -- inspired by Halloween, an exploration of the language of fashion and fashion as a language. Thank you to our newest Patreon supporters, Benjamin Walls & Alex Smallman!! #halloween #costume #etymology For further...
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Why do people hang Christmas stockings?
Digging beneath the sugarcoating to find the linguistic and cultural origins of the holiday treats in the Christmas stocking. For further explorations of these subjects, check out Thorneloe University's courses in the Humanities,...
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Why do we eat Turkey at Thanksgiving?
The #etymology & origin of the #Turkey, and what its history tells us about #Thanksgiving, colonialism, globalization, and guinea pigs! A correction: "kalkoen" is associated with the trading city Calicut, in Kerala rather than Calcutta....
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Paddle Your Own Canoe: Ways of Knowing
Exploring the relationship between the historical development of sailing technology and the metaphor of “the journey of life”, from Homer's Odyssey to Chaucer, Tennyson, & Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Check out our Patreon page if...
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Etymology: Some History of Proto-Indo-European
The origin of the word 'etymology' leads to an explanation of the basics of Proto-Indo-European, Grimm's Law, and comparative philology. Thank you to our newest patron, Michael Wombat! For further explorations of these subjects, check...
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Bug: Word History Connections
From British folklore to open source computing, the history of the word “Bug”. Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>us For further...
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Mai Tai: Cocktail Word History Connections
A brief history of Tiki culture, and the origins of the Mai Tai! Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>us For further explorations of...
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Coach: Word History Connections
The history of the word Coach: from a town in Hungary to college football. Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>us For further...
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Cuckold: The Story of Valentine's Day
The medieval origins of the word “Cuckold”, its connections to Valentine’s Day, and the history of why Valentine's Day is celebrated in February. For further explorations of these subjects, check out Thorneloe University's courses in the...
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Yule: Word History Connections
The pagan Germanic origins of Yule and many Christmas traditions. Check out our Patreon page if you'd like to help support us href='https://www.patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>us For further explorations of...