When you cut open, it's usually in one of two places: a dark alley, or a theatre; or, to be more precise, an operating theatre. The rea...

I'm going to Ireland, to Dublin, to take part in a brunchtime debate about drink and othersuch fun on Sunday 18th of November. It...

It's generally quite easy to guess the etymology of an English place name, and quite pleasant too, as you get to sound clever. The sy...

I've used the phrase time is of the essence  all my life without realising that it has a quite precise legal meaning. I just thought th...

I've found something beautiful. The British television regulator, Ofcom, whose job it is to see that we are shocked politely, commissio...

The etymology of emoji  ought to be obvious. It's a little digital picture: hence e- like e-mail . And it expresses emotion : hence em...

Much has happened since A Short History of Drunkenness came out in America a couple of weeks ago. First, there's a lovely review in th...