Fact-based Word Journeys
The Word Tomato Was Born in the Language of the Aztecs
Tomato, tomate and the Russian tomat all grew from one Aztec word, tomatl, while Russian also kept a second name that means golden apples.
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Fiction Made-Up Words
Plugspin
(n.) The ritual of trying a plug one way up, then the other, then the first way again, which somehow now works perfectly.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Pocketdrum
(n.) The brisk little drumroll you play on your own pockets in the doorway, checking for keys, phone and wallet in the same order every single time.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Laughlend
(n.) A hearty, generous laugh given in response to a joke you did not hear, offered on credit in the hope that nobody will ask what you found funny.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Seatecho
(n.) The lingering warmth of a seat recently vacated by a stranger, which is somehow far less welcome than a cold seat, even on the coldest day of the year.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Sneezelimbo
(n.) The long, undignified pause with your eyes half shut, mouth open and one hand raised, waiting for a sneeze that has clearly announced itself and then changed its mind.
Fact-based Word Journeys
The Word Robot Was Born in a Czech Play, Thanks to a Painter Brother
Robot, the Russian robot and the Spanish robot all come from a single stage play written in Prague in 1920, where a writer's brother suggested an old Czech word for hard, dull work.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Dodgewaltz
(n.) The short, unrehearsed dance performed by two strangers on a pavement who both step left, then both step right, then both apologise, then both step left again.
Fact-based Word Journeys
Tea, Té and Chai Are One Chinese Word That Took Two Roads
English and Spanish say tea and té, Russian says chai, and all three are the same Chinese word, split in two by whether it travelled west on a ship or on the back of a camel.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Yawnrelay
(n.) The single yawn that sets off at one end of a meeting table and travels, person by person, all the way to the other end, where the dog lying under it yawns too.