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Adam Jacot de Boinod

Adam Jacot de Boinod

Articles by Adam Jacot de Boinod

Constellation prize: The fears, myths that explain how planets got their names

An ancient Chinese star chart unearthed in the 7th century CE. (Wikimedia)

Updated on Jul 18, 2026 12:42 IST

Capital Letters: Lore about eagles, swallows; how the turkey got its name

Is the owl a sign of wisdom, or of bad luck headed your way? The answer depends on where, geographically, you are standing. (Wikimedia)

Updated on Jun 20, 2026 11:23 IST

Making cents of currency: Adam Jacot de Boinod writes on alternatives to money

Chinese men carry bricks of tea, of the kind used as currency, to Tibet, as documented by British explorer EH Wilson in 1908. (Wikimedia)

Updated on May 23, 2026 15:20 IST

A dash of seasoning: How salt gave us the words salary, salad, saucer

A 2,500-year-old mural at the Mayan site of Calakmul in Mexico shows salt being traded. It is believed to have served as a form of money and a vital commodity here. The man in the broad-brimmed hat (likely made from vegetable fibre) was likely the buyer in this transaction. (Rogelio Valencia, Proyecto Arqueológico Calakmul via Louisiana State University)

Updated on Apr 18, 2026 09:20 IST

Sneeze the day: Why cultures around the world dread the sniffles

In Japan, one sneeze signifies praise; two is criticism; three, disparagement. One can only imagine how the populace must suffer in allergy season. (Adobe Stock)

Updated on Mar 21, 2026 11:52 IST

Glance encounter: Adam Jacot de Boinod on how the world sees the evil eye

A Tibetan evil-eye mask to protect homes from ill-fortune.

Updated on Feb 21, 2026 10:54 IST

Yore’s sincerely: Decoding the origin of handsome, pittance, shambles

For something to technically be a shambles, it would need to be covered somewhat in slaughtered meat! Even the Shambles aren’t a shambles any more. Above, stores line a street in York where butchers once displayed meat on “fleshammels” or “flesh shelves”, which is where we get the term. (Wikinedia)

Updated on Feb 7, 2026 10:29 IST

It’s that term of the year: Our pick of the best viral words of 2025

Don’t say ‘Good lord’; try ‘alamak’.

Updated on Dec 20, 2025 13:36 IST

Waves, witches? Get out of year!: New year traditions around the world

The witch-like La Bafana dates to Ancient Rome and legends of the huntress Diana. She is said to deliver gifts to children on January 5. (Wikimedia)

Updated on Nov 22, 2025 15:00 IST

That’s what they all say...: How idioms change around the world

‘Out of the frying pan...’ in Indonesian becomes ‘out of the tiger’s mouth, and into the crocodile’s’. (Shutterstock)

Updated on Oct 25, 2025 08:30 IST

Ruff draft: Surprising canine-inspired terms in the English language

Dogs once provided so much labour that their exertion is where the phrase ‘dog tired’ comes from. (Above) Bandit and Chilli from the TV series Bluey.

Updated on Sep 27, 2025 08:45 IST

Points of hue: Adam Jacot de Boinod on tints and tones across languages

What colour do you see first? (Shutterstock)

Updated on Aug 30, 2025 10:30 IST

Simple songs of freedom: A look at the tales national anthems tell

National mottoes tell intriguing tales too. Belize‘s is Sub Umbra Floreo, Latin for Under the Shade I Flourish, a reference to the country’s dense jungles, which have shaped and sheltered its people for millennia.

Updated on Jul 19, 2025 11:31 IST

Spot the mane clause: Equine terms are hiding where you’d least expect them

In more recent times, a stellar show starring Will Arnett as BoJack gave the term horseman a new meaning.

Updated on Jun 21, 2025 10:33 IST

That means a lot...: Adam Jacot de Boinod on strange journeys words have taken

Ancient Greek gave us ‘enthusiasm’ – the second syllable drawn from ‘theos’. It was originally used for someone possessed by a divine or artistic frenzy. (Adobe Stock)

Updated on May 24, 2025 12:31 IST

Palm before the storm: A look at how gestures can be misunderstood

Stop, thanks, or shut your face? Even the simplest gesture can hold a range of meanings.

Updated on Apr 26, 2025 09:38 IST

Salty language: Adam Jacot de Boinod dives into terms given to us by the sea

(Adobe Stock)

Updated on Mar 29, 2025 10:01 IST

Birth rites: How cultures across the world pick a name for newborns

(Adobe Stock)

Updated on Feb 21, 2025 15:51 IST

Did you snail through the year?: Adam Jacot de Boinod lists top terms from 2024

A snail girl puts her happiness and well-being before other demands on her time. (How quaint the word is, and how idyllic the idea.) (Adobe Stock)

Updated on Dec 21, 2024 13:37 IST

Red for obsession, yellow for adultery: What flower hues mean around the world

Purple and yellow flowers are a vital part of Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico and Brazil. It is believed that the vibrant colours help guide ancestors back to their families. (Shutterstock)

Updated on Oct 26, 2024 10:48 IST

Talk time: Are you a pepper mill or a cowbell?

(Adobe Stock)

Updated on Sep 28, 2024 10:35 IST

You don’t say...: A look at taboo words from around the world

A still from The Golden Compass (2007). Among the Yakut people of Russia, the bear is so feared that the word for it is not spoken, but is replaced by the term “Our lord” or “Good father”. The bear is symbolic of great strength, though. And so Medvedev, literally “honey-eater”, is a fairly common surname.

Updated on Aug 17, 2024 11:30 IST

Meet expectations: A nod to greeting styles around the world

An 1880 painting of Japanese women bowing. There are several degrees of the bow, including one in which the forehead almost touches the hands. (Wikimedia)

Updated on Jul 20, 2024 11:16 IST

Goodness, is that the time: A look at how languages name hours, colours, numbers

The Hausa (above) and Zarma tribes of West Africa are not known for punctuality, so the day was traditionally simply broken up into chunks. Through recent centuries, amid the rise of Islam here, these chunks came to be linked to the nearest Islamic prayer time. (Africulture / Shutterstock)

Updated on Jun 22, 2024 11:53 IST

A different kind of twitter: A look at languages without words

Like the Kele in Congo, the Yoruba of Nigeria (above) use talking drums to communicate. (Wikimedia Commons)

Updated on May 25, 2024 09:12 IST

Why is April such a festive month across Asia?

People dress up, re-enact myths and play games, during the three-day new year festivities in Cambodia. (Adobe Stock)

Updated on Apr 27, 2024 10:09 IST

Borrowed and Lent: Where do Easter terms come from?

Ukrainian Easter eggs. In Slavic cultures, eggs are often decorated in celebratory hues. (Wikimedia Commons)

Updated on Mar 30, 2024 10:15 IST

Capital Letters: How isolate languages are dodging the full stop

Old Norse runes. Though so much has been lost, we have got better, in recent years, at reviving languages and keeping them alive. (Adobe Stock)

Updated on Feb 17, 2024 09:56 IST

Going through a phrase: New terms for a new reality, via Adam Jacot de Boinod

‘Heat storm’ is now used to describe a spell of several days of extreme hot weather and high humidity. (US National Science Foundation)

Updated on Jan 20, 2024 17:38 IST

Carp, crowns and birthdays: New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world

In Indonesia, New Year’s Eve is observed as Nyepi, a day of silence, fasting and meditation, The day before that, giant effigies called ogoh-ogoh are taken through the streets, then burnt in purification ceremonies (as seen above). (Getty Images)

Updated on Dec 16, 2023 13:37 IST

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