2010

Mar 14 Irish Words in Newfoundland English

Mar 11 West Coast Canadian Phrases

Mar 08 Cappuccino: Origin of the Word

Mar 04 Sputnik & A Russian Word Lesson

Feb 28 Asbestos: Harper's & Canada's Poison Export

Feb 24 Locker-Boxing: The Shame of Minor Hockey

Feb 20 Labrador: Meaning of the Place Name

Feb 17 Quebec Expressions - Part 4

Feb 13 New Canadian Sayings Update Feb 2010

Feb 08 Canadian Sayings - new batch rp

Feb 05 Vampire Squids from Hell rp

Jan 30 Olympics Named for Mount Olympus? Not! rp

Jan 23 Olympic Words: from ancient Greek to English rp

Jan 19 Canadian, eh? The History of an Interjection

Jan 15 How Beaver Became a Dirty Word

Jan 13 Forceps: Origin of the Word - rewritten

Jan 10 Crowdsourcing: Sleazy New Corporate-Excuse Word - update

Jan 08 Subnivian: A New Scientific Snow Word - repost

Jan 05 Kamik, Babiche & Other Northern Shoe Words - repost

Jan 04 Some Newer Canadian Sayings - repost

Jan 03 Toast: Origin of the Word - repost

2009

Dec 27 Bergschrund: Snow Word

Dec 24 Graupel & Chionablepsia: Rare Snow Words

Dec 21 Skiff - Rare Snow Word

Dec 17 Névé -Unusual Snow Word

Dec 12 Firn -Unusual Snow Term in English

Dec 08 Etymology of the Word Winter

Dec 02 The Man Who Designed Santa Claus

Nov 28 Mottoes of Canada -revised

Nov 25 10 Winter Weather Sayings from Canada

Nov 20 Obscure Verbs of Leaping: To Pronk, to Stott, to Saltate

Nov 16 Canadian Folk Sayings: New Batch Nov 2009

Nov 11 Québec Place Names: New Ideas

Nov06 Pip:Folk Saying about Annoyance

Nov 01 Bastard! & Other -Ard Words

Oct 25 to Oct 31 Halloween Week: Inuit Noise Ghost, Wendigo, Gougou & Bonhomme

Oct 17 Schiaparelli: Origin of an Elegant Italian Surname

Oct 13 Abbott & McNab: Names from Canadian History

Oct 06 Celibacy: The Word & The Practice

Oct 03 Tat: The Tattoo & Trash Word   revised

Sept 28 Words like Cadillac & Screenge

Sept 25 Canadian Sayings: New Batch Sept 2009

Sept 21 Fig: Origin of Word & of Obscene Gesture

Sept 17 Shana Tova & Uses of the Hebrew Adj. ‘tov’= good

Sept 13 Calque or Loan-Translation

Sept 09 Panopticon Rare Words # 5

Sept 03 School: Its Etymology

Aug 31 Flatulent Neology: Two New Fart Words

Aug 27 Juju: an African Magic Word

Aug 24 Linden Tree or Basswood: Word Lore

Aug 21 Ramadan: Arabic Etymology of Holy Word

Aug 18 Kif: Arabic Dope Word Circles the Earth

Aug 15 Canadianisms: a New Batch

Aug 13 Hootch: A Klondike Gold Rush Word   -repost

Aug 11 Is Zed Dead in Canada? -update

Aug 07 The Word Curfew & A Spurious Origin of Sincere

July 26 Galilee: Origin of a Hebrew Place Name & The God Pan

July 23 Mas Band & Masquerade

July 16 Fanny: A Naughty Word of Many Meanings

July 14 Canadian Saying about FEAR - repost

July 12 Hell’s Out for Recess: Canadian Saying - repost

July 10 The Origin of Summer & The Season Names -repost

July 08 Meadow Rue & Its Neat Etymology

July 05 Foxing a Horse on Prince Edward Island - update

July 03  Origins of the Names of the Great Lakes - repost

July  01 Canada: The Name of Our Country - revised

June 28 Alberta Ranch Saying - repost

June 24 Panopticon of Rare Words # 3 - repost

June 20 Anishinaabe for N'tl Aboriginal Day

June 16 Canadian Summer Sayings - revised

June 11 Pitot Tube: Phrase in the News

June 08 Bonhomme sept-heures - a Québec Bogeyman

June 06 Irish Words in Newfoundland English - repost

June 02 Porcelain: Its Exotic Origin - repost

May 28 Bleeding Heart or Dutchman's Britches or Dicentra

May 24 French Study: About the Acadian Verb Jaser

May 20 “Nuisance Grounds” & Other Garbage Words

May 16 Coteau - Saskatchewan Geographical Term

May 13 Guttersnipe & Gout from Latin Gutta ‘Drop’

May 10 Meadow Rue: Canadian Garden Plant

May 07 Canadian Job Names

May 04 Mayapple: Canadian Spring Flower - revised

April 30 Kitsch: Its Meaning & Etymology

April 27 Kitsilano: British Columbia Place Name

April 23 Soap: Its Origin & Etymology

April 20 Tat - My Favorite Shoddy Monosyllable

April 16 Vexillology & Other Flag Words

April 10 Jouer Fessier, Québec Phrase + Translation Essay

April 06 No Rhyme for Orange? Nonsense!

April 02 Italy: Origin of the Country's Name

Mar  30 Renoviction - March 2009 Update

Mar  26 Odd & Delightful Words in Zoology like Vampire Squids

Mar  23 Nudnik & Co. Yiddish Words from Russian - repost

Mar 19 Asbestos: Toxic Canadian Export revised,updated

Mar  15 Irish Words in Newfoundland English

Mar  11 Fraud & Ponzi: Origin of an Italian Surname

Mar  07 What is a Schwa?

Mar 03 Canadian Phrases Newly Collected March 2009

Feb  28 Judgmental Bird Names - Acerbic Humour

Feb  24 Dep & Guichet-Québec English & “Sticky Wicket”

Feb  20 Eh? A Canadian Interjection - expanded

Feb  16 Narcissus: Word & Myth

Feb  11 Charles Darwin: On the Origin of his Surname

Feb  07 Kamik, Asham, Babiche, Bear Paw: Winter Boot Words

Feb  03 Peanut:The Word & Its Botanical Names

Jan  30 Bad, Silly, Obscene Car Names -rewrite/repost

Jan  26 Year of the Ox & Chinese Words in English

Jan  21 Herb as a Word - repost

Jan  17 Inauguration: Etymology & Latin Roots

Jan  14 Rare words #4: Mandrinette & Rongeur

Jan  11 Superjuice: New Canadian Bootlegger Term

Jan  08 Queef: Naughty Noun & Vulgar Verb

Jan  05 Nanoscaffold & Its Greek Root 'nanos'

Jan  03 Veisalgia =Hangover

Jan  01 New Year's Commentary on William Blake

2008

Dec   30 Champagne: Origin of Word

Dec   27 Tuque: Canada's National Winter Head Gear

Dec   22 The Man Who Designed Santa Claus

Dec   19 Subnivian: New Scientific Winter Word

Dec   15 Flux, Afflux, Efflux, Influx, Reflux,Effluxion

Dec  09  Snow Sayings & Proverbs from Canada

Dec   06 Boneyize: A Canadian Verb

Nov   27 Chaloshes, Tchotchke, Tchainik, Shpilkes:Four Yiddish Words

Nov  20 Fanny: Origin & Meaning of a Naughty Word

Nov  13 Renoviction: Creepy New Canadian Word

Nov  08 Vor & Phag: Latin & Greek "Eat" Roots in English

Nov  05 Michif, Métis, Nishga'a, Bluenose: Origin of Names

Nov  01 Asbestos: Canada's Shame - -updated Report

October  "The Best of Bill" repeated 31 of my favorite columns.

Sept  25 Asbestos, Québec & A Toxic Name Change - revised

Sept  21 Bordens & Brownies: Canadian Racetrack Slang - repost

Sept  16 Pepper Words - repost

Sept  12 Mottoes of Canada - repost

Sept  09 Tories & Grits: Origins of Canadian Political Party Nicknames

Sept  06 Québec Bread Words & Etymology of Habitant - revised

Aug   31 Ramadan: Its Etymology  or  (mirror file)

Aug   28 Husqvarna: World's Most Mispronounced Brand Name

Aug   24 Barack Obama: The Meaning of His Given Name

Aug   20 Pepper Words of the World

Aug   16 Canadian Summer Sayings - revised

Aug   10 Olympic Word & Phrase Origins

Aug   05 Were The Olympic Games Named After Mount Olympus?

July  31 Botany’s Deficient & Botched Plant Names

July  23 Geophagy: Eating Dirt

July  21 Boche: Origin of a Second World War Racial Slur - repost

July  18 Lemon & Lime: From The Same Root - repost

July  15 Brit Can't spell Québec Words

July  12 Cyberbullying - update

July  08 Calgary Stampede: word origin

July  04 Lunenburg Pudding & Sausage Words - repost

June 29 Why I am NOT a Word Cop - 2008 Canada Day Essay

June 27 New Letters about Pays des Illinois French Dialect

June 23 Juniper & Gin: From Landscape to Larynx

June 21 Summer & The Seasons: Origin of The Names -repost

June 18 Tourtière & Omelette: Foods Named After Their Cooking Utensils

June 14 Mozart: Surprising Meaning of his Surname - addenda

June 11 Québec Expressions - Part 5 repost

June 06 Letter About Medved, Russian for bear

June 01 Schnoodle: Revolting Dog Breed Names - repost & update

May 28 Cunt: A Blunt History of the Word

May 22 Twat: Origin of a Rude Word

May 16 Poupoune: Current Québec Slang

May 12 Origins of "White" Colour Adjectives

May 06 Creepy New English Verb: To Tase

May 01 The Rhymeless Orange? repost

Apr 28 Plantgenets & Plantar Wart: Their Connection -repost

Apr 24 The Word Police - repost

Apr 21 Gorby - repost

Apr 15 Québec Words & Phrases - Part 9

Apr 11 Rare Words like Suppedaneum: Collection # 3

April 5 Porcelain - A Marco Polo Word

April 2 Boucan, Ballard Effect, Chanting the Cock, Misery Fiddle: Canadian History Words

Mar 29 Lariat, Lasso & Honda: Origin of Cowboy Words

Mar 25 Le Mitin: A Québec Borrowing from English

Mar 21 Giclée: A Printing Term

Mar 17 Québec Insults & Sayings - Part 8

Mar 14 Carotid Arteries - repost

Mar 10 Book Review # 1: Curse & Berate in 69+ Languages

Mar 06 Dmitri Medvedev: Origin of Russian Names

Mar 02 Telestrator: Origin of a Brand Name

Feb 27 Police: Origin of the Word

Feb 21 Tuque: Canada's National Winter Headgear

Feb 18 Quinzhee: Winter Shelter Word from Canada

Feb 14 Dilbit & Synbit: Alberta Oil Words & Places

Feb 10 Astrobleme: A Geology Word Examined

Feb 05 English Words from Chinese, Like Tea

Jan 30 Horse Words (rewrite and repost)

Jan 27 Canadian Sayings - New - Jan 2008

Jan 22 Lemon & Lime Word Lore: part of Fruit Names

Jan 19 Farce: Etymology of the Word (repost)

Jan 13 Sinus: A Medical Exam of the Word

Jan 09 Mottoes of Canada (revised & reposted)

Jan 03 ESL Sayings & ESL Tips

2007

Dec 30 Champagne: Origin of the Word

Dec 28 Winter Words & Rare Words

Dec 26 Toast & Toasting: Origins

Dec 19 Veisalgia = Hangover: Medical Word History

Dec 13 Thomas Nast: The Man Who Designed Santa Claus

Dec 09 Uncle Billy's Toys for 2008 - humour

Dec 05 Cryosphere & Cryonics

Dec 01 Slang of Canada, Part 2: Nippertipping & Bumsicle

Nov 24 Sousveillance: Coined by a Canadian

Nov 13 Nudnik, Nogoodnik & Nu: Yiddish from Russian

Nov 09 Some Letters to the Editor

Nov 03 “Bordens & Brownies” Can. Racetrack Slang

Oct 30 Wendigo: Cannibal Fiend of the North Woods

Oct 27 Oak Words 3: Oak Surnames & Place Names

Oct 22 Oak Words 2: Druid, Mistletoe & Oak Myths

Oct 17 Oak Words of the World - Part 1

Oct 10 Fennel & Finocchio: Origin of the Plant's Name

Oct 04 Sputnik: Russian Etymology of the Word

Sept 21 Canadian Sayings - A New Batch

Sept 16 Cow Words Part 3: Vaccine & Pecuniary

Sept 10 Cow Words Part 2: Cow, Vacca & Vache

Sept   6 Fee & Other Cow Words Part 1

Sept 01 Mi'kmaq "Food" Place Names of Nova Scotia

Aug 24  Klondike & Yukon Name Origins -revised

Aug 19  Pomegranate - A Naming Error   -revised

Aug 13   The Vicar of Bray & A Nazi War Criminal -revised  

Aug 08  Onion Words of English & French - revised

Aug 02  Hysteria: Just Death of a Medical Word -revised

July 29  Gorby - revised and updated

July 24  Sipiy:Algonkian Root in Can-Am. Names-repost

July 19  Canadian Summer Sayings - repost

July 16  Skookum: Chinook Jargon Word - repost

July 12  Herb as a Word

July 9    Profane Reflections - repost & revision

July 4    Panopticon of Verbal Rarities - Part 2

June 29 Dion & Dionne: Origin of 2 Quebec Surnames

June 24 Horse Words: Some Etymology

June 20 Unpublished Canadian Sayings

June 15 Pitcher Plant, A Newfie Carnivore

June 11 Alberta Horse Terms & Your Coccyx

June o6  Cephalic, the Vein with the Wrong Name

May  31  Marde & Merde & Other Quebec Vulgarisms

May  27 Origin of Surnames Abbott & McNab (revised repost)

May  22 Onion & Garlic Words in English & French

May 18  Chiard & Excremental Word Roots

May 14  Apple Words

May 09 Alberta Place Names & Can. Sayings

May 04 A Swarm of Bee Words

May 01 Ed Stelmach: Alberta Premier's Surname

Apr  26 Percebe: Spanish Word Entering English

Apr  21 Verbal Rarities

Apr  17 Farce: An Etymology (revised Apr 2007)

Apr  12 Nappy: Origin of a Racist Insult

Apr  09 Crowdsourcing: New Word - Old Scam

Apr  04 Albertosaurus: A Canadian Dinosaur

Mar 30 Rock Tripe: Wildness Emergency Food (repost)

Mar 23 Capillaire & Wintergreen Teas (repost)

Mar 18 Sipiy (Algonkian) = River (English)

Mar 15 Mangeurs de lard: Canadian Historical Insult (repost)

Mar 11 Snow Motto has Ancient Greek Source (repost)

Mar  7 Vole & Viking Words in English

Mar  3 Frankum: Newfoundland Gum (repost)

Feb 26 Death Euphemisms like VSA and Passing

Feb 21 Québec Phrases using Gorlot

Feb 17  Tuque & Other Québec Expressions Part 6

Feb 15 Crokinole: A Canadian Word?

Feb 14  Saint Valentine's Day 2007

Feb 11  For the Love of Mike: origin of the expression

Feb  11 Bastard Canoe

Feb  05 Québec Sayings # 5 & Metathesis Explained

Feb  01 Québec Bread Words & Meanings of Habitant

Jan  30 Canadian Saying about Stephen Harper

Jan  26 Locker-Boxing: Amateur Hockey Violence

Jan  24 As The Canoe Tips: Excerpt from my book

Jan  20 Notes from The Wording Room - # 1

Jan  17 No Rhyme for the Word Orange?

Jan  14 Arabic Place Names of the World - 1

Jan  10 Panopticon of Verbal Rarities-1

Jan  08 Hoodoo Origins & Dictionary Makers

Jan  05 L'Épluchette:Quebec Corn Roast/Husking Bee

Jan  02 Bad Names for New Cars

2006

Dec  26 Canadian West Coast Expressions

Dec  21 Québec Current Expressions - Part 4

Dec  17 Schnoodles & Schnotties: New Dog Breed Names

Dec  13 Calgary Stampede Word Origin

Dec  06 Mask, Masquerade, Mascara & Mas Band

Nov  31 Skid means 'Street Kid'

Nov  23 Anishinaabe: Origin of an Ethnonym

Nov  19 Prickly Pear Cactus & Nopalitos

Nov  12 Catnip & Cat: Word Origins

Nov  06 Lord & Lady: Their Surprising Origins

Nov  01 Donner la Bascule: Québec Birthday Toss

Oct   26 Inuit Noise Ghost: 100% Canadian Monster

Oct   22 Quebec Sayings/Locutions Québécoises-Part 3

Oct   19 Fulda, Saskatchewan: Origin of the Place Name

Oct   15 To Parp a klaxon: British Phrase Examined

Oct   10 Fireweed: Flower of the Yukon

Oct   07 Unpublished Canadian Sayings Oct 2006

Oct   03 Miner's Lettuce: A British Columbia Phrase

Sept 28 Québec Words/Des Expressions Québécoises

Aug 28  French Canadian Sayings/ Les Dits Québécois

Aug  21 The Birch Tree: Word Lore & History

Aug  17 Hudson's Bay Hymnbook: Historical Slang

Aug  13 Canadian Sayings about Death

Aug  04 Canadian Words & Sayings: My New 2006 Book

Aug  03 Frankum: A Newfoundland Chewing Gum

Aug  01 Racist Slang of Canada

July 29 Abbott & McNab: Origin of Surnames

Apr  11 To Fox a Horse: PEI Historical Phrase

Apr  04 Italy or Italia: Origin of the Country's Name

Mar 26 Plantagenets & Plantar Warts: Their Connection

Mar 21 Dudek: A Canadian Poet's Surname

Mar 17 Tilley: Famous Canadian Surname

Mar 12 Rock Tripe: Emergency Wilderness Food

Mar 06 Crokinole: A Canadian Word?

Mar 02 Canadian Sayings Explained for ESL Students

Feb  25 Canada Yew: Origin of name & botanical name

Feb  21  Snye: A 100% Canadian Word

Feb  17  The Real McCoy: ACanadian Inventor

Feb  12  Stumping: Love in Pioneer New Brunswick

Feb  10  Butter Tart: 100% Canadian

Feb 03   Mozart: The Surprising Origin of his Surname

Jan  27   Ciao! Hello! The Origins of Words of Greeting

Jan  22   Banting: Origin of a Famous Canadian Name

Jan  18   Colcannon Night in Newfoundland Labrador

Jan  14   Veronica Tennant: origin of the artist's names

2005

Dec   23    Bobskates

Dec   18    Hell's Out for Recess: Newly Collected Saying

Dec   14    Fidiot: New Word  

Dec   11    Capillaire & Wintergreen: Teas of the Woods

Dec   01    Summer Words for a Winter Day

Nov  28    Features & Services Links Page

Nov  23    Botanical Names: A Quick Guide

Nov  12    Cocagne, New Brunswick: Place Name Origin

Nov  08   Alberta Saying about Cattle Ranching

Nov  05   A Canadian Folk Saying about Fear

Oct   25   Moose Muffle Soup: Canadian Pioneer Recipe

Oct   11   Brand-new: origin of an adjective   

Oct   02  Antumbra & Words Derived from Latin umbra

Aug  29  Michael Ignatieff: Origin of his Surname

Aug  24  Cyberbully: Canadian Coinage

Aug  18  Origins of the Names of the Great Lakes

Aug  12  Digitariat: Newish Computer Word

Aug    8  Funis, Latin 'rope' & Funiculi, Funicula!

Aug    1  10 Sayings Every Canadian Should Know

July 30  Sockeye Salmon & Ichthyology

July 25  Skookum: A British Columbia Word

July  22 Canadian, Eh? — The True Story

July  17 Eggplant & Aubergine

July  14 Happy Canadian Summer Sayings

July  10 Hysteria: Just Death of a Medical Word

July    8 Carotid Artery: Origin of Med. Terms

July    4 Sebum: Origin of a Medical Term

June 26 Wog: Origin of a Racist Insult

June 20 Nova Scotia Blueberry Grunt

June 11 Mangeurs de lard & Hivernants

June  7  Zed & Zee in Canadian Speech & Spelling

May  31 Summer & The Seasons: Origins of the Words

May  25 Labrador: Meaning of the Place Name

May  21 Canadian Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense

May  17 Belinda Stronach: Her Given Name Origin

May  16 Lunenburg Pudding, Bowels & Sausages

May  11 Profane: Etymology of the Word

May   9  Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis

May   7  Mother: Etymology of the Word    

May   5  Orillia: Spanish Place Names in Canada (1 of 3)

              Tofino, Quadra, Galiano, Valdes (2)

              Almonte, Oro Grande Gulch, Alhambra (3)

May   1  Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum

Apr  28  Castor canadensis: origins of name

Apr  25  Beaver

Apr  21  Clavier, Clef, Clavell, Enclave, Exclave

Apr  20  Autoclave & Moon Base Clavius

Apr  19  Clavicle: New Origin of Anatomical Term

Apr  18  Conclave, Keys of the Kingdom

Apr  15  Klondike & Yukon, Gwich'in Words

Apr  11  Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia purpurea

Apr 08  Gorby: Muskoka Insult Word

Apr 05  Kiack: Origin of Nova Scotia Fish Word

Apr 02  Canadian Primrose: Origin of Botanical Name

Mar 30 Asbestos: Changing Quebec Town's Name

Mar 25 Keanu Reeves: Meaning of his Name

Mar 20 Spruce - Part 2

Mar 17 Spruce: Origin of the Tree Name

Mar 12 The “Vicar of Bray” Saying

Mar 07 Diana Krall: Meaning of her Names

Mar 03 Canadian Winter & Cold Sayings

Mar 01 Sports Coach & Hungarian Cart: Same Word!

Feb 23 Pomegranate: Mistake in its Botanical Name

Feb 20 Festiglace & Québec Winter Words

Feb 17  Chimo: The Meaning of an Inuit Greeting    

Feb 13  New Brunswick's Stumping

Feb 09 Newfoundland's Brewis

Feb 01 Cappuccino: Origin of the Word

Jan 28 Snow Phrase Origin in Ancient Greek

Jan 23  Kalan Porter's New Word of the Year

Jan 18  Avril Lavigne's Surname Explained

Jan 15  Famous Canadian Surnames Explained

Jan 12  Do Dogs Do Snow Angels? : a Photograph

Jan 12  Word Notes & Comments: A New Section

Jan 11  Wanigan: Born in New Brunswick?

Jan 06 Nicolas de Chamfort biographical sketch

Jan 05 Crummy: A British Columbia Logging Word

Jan 02 Bonspiel: Origin of a Curling Term

Jan 01 Medieval Woodcut of Time Analyzed

Jan 01 Comment on Blake's Book of Job Illustrations

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