21 Feb /14

Quixotic

Quixotic clearly has its origin in the Spanish romance written by Cervantes Don Quixote which was published in two parts in 1605 and 1615.Continue reading Quixotic

20 Feb /14

Ditto

This word which now means “the same thing happened to me”, or “I agree” goes back to the Italian detto (said) and was first used in the various travel documents and reports that were put together by Purchas.Continue reading Ditto

Atoll
19 Feb /14

Atoll

It was in the last edition of his collection of travel writing that Purchas used the word atoll.Continue reading Atoll