Our Word for Wednesday theme for October is Halloween. The word Halloween likely dates to the seventeenth century but was popularised in the Burns poem ‘Halloween’ which was written in 1785. It is a Scottish abbreviation of ‘Allhallow-even’ which means ‘Eve of the All Saints’. ‘Hallow’ means ‘holy person’ or ‘saint’. Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at the words pumpkin, monster, and skeleton. For our final Halloween-themed post of the month, we’ve chosen trick-or-treat. Trick-or-treating is a Halloween tradition in which costumed children visit ne...
The word for today is ‘referendum’. Used in 1847 with reference to Switzerland, from French or German, meaning "a submitting of a question to the voters as a whole" and the Latin referendum "that which must be referred". It is perhaps the most effective type of vote, yes or no. Tomorrow, the people of Scotland will vote to determine whether Scotland will remain part of The United Kingdom after a union of 307 years. The debate is viciously divisive, even tearing apart families, and recent polls have been incredibly close. The United Kingdom faces uncertainty, and if Scotland votes ‘Yes’ there will be massive change in the UK, which is de...
In this week’s Word for Wednesday, we’ll be debunking a popular urban myth. Originating in Scotland in the middle ages, the game of Golf has risen to worldwide popularity. Despite all the associations of pomp and grandeur, Golf is becoming an increasingly accessible sport. One thing that doesn’t help these associations is the common misconception that Golf is an acronym; a rather misogynistic one too… The legend lingers that golf is an acronym for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden. In fact, the real etymology is likely to be much more straightforward. One potential origin is the Scottish word ‘goult’ meaning ’to strike’. Also, the Dutch ‘kolf’ for ‘club’ is another possible relative. ...
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