Hundreds of years ago, the word girl didn’t necessarily mean a female child — in the 14th and 15th centuries, it could refer to a child of either sex. Only later did its meaning become more specific. • Some people think that referring to a...
Hundreds of years ago, the word girl could refer to a child of either gender, and the word boy applied specifically to a servant. The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is a useful resource for understanding which terms were in...
Slang lovers, rejoice! Parts of Green’s Dictionary of Slang are being posted online, including an impressive timeline tracking slang involving alcohol. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Green’s Dictionary of Slang...

