India, March 21 -- We saw it during the pandemic, the fear that a simple sound can engender. Nothing felt more alarming than a nearby cough. The sneeze has a similar history. In English, Polish, Germ... Read More
India, Feb. 20 -- The evil eye is, in many ways, a universal superstition. We all fear the envy (at best) and ill intentions (at worst) of others will alter our fate. The eyes, those windows to the s... Read More
India, Feb. 7 -- There's a century I particularly favour, when it comes to word histories. Two consecutive ones, actually: the 16th and 17th. So much was happening in urban England at this time. Soci... Read More