My name is Pascal Tréguer, I am a French citizen. I graduated in French literature and linguistics from the University of Nantes and the Sorbonne. After teaching French as a foreign or second language in various countries (Ireland, Fiji, Tonga, New Caledonia, Romania, Britain) for most of my adult life, I am now living in Lancashire and devoting my time to uncovering the stories behind words and phrases. I am in particular trying to expose the falseness of many etymologies flourishing in books and on the Internet.
word histories 
Wonderful site! I just used it in a post* to Twitter! I love words, and sayings, and I love to know their etymologies. I too have been very frustrated by false, faked, stupid guesses at meaning recently. You are doing a wonderful service to language! Keep up the good work!
Re a new movie based on the 1958 book Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris. My post quoting you and including your website::
Fell in love with the book as a teenager dreaming of beautiful clothes and Paris!
It’s unforgettable, beautifully written. I’ll see the movie! If you haven’t read the book, do!
*2001, 1st trip to Paris, no dress but
J’ai fait du lèche-vitrine chez Dior!
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Merci Pascal. Maintenant je comprends l’idée ” to have a chip on one’s shoulder…”. It didn’t make sense to me all these years until I read the history of this expression.
I’ve explained the expression: ” Il ira loin si les petits cochons ne le mangent pas.” to a friend yesterday and she found it quite …. strange.
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Thank you! Looking for history (unknown to date) of the idiom ‘eat crow’? Congrats on a much needed great website, great idea!
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Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us!
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Hi, please, it doesn’t take much checking to identify the origin of the phrase “the great unwashed”.
It is attributed by many to Edmund Burke, the first published use of the phrase was by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in a dedicatory epistle for 1830, Paul Clifford.
Please update your entry which will mislead many who do not question your sources.
Yours,
Carl.
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Well, in fact, it took me much checking to identify the origin of the phrase “the great unwashed”, because I had to go beyond the usual received ideas that people like you propagate.
May I suggest that you read my blog-post about “the great unwashed”? If you do, you’ll see that this phrase was in usage before Edward Bulwer-Lytton published Paul Clifford.
You write that the phrase “the great unwashed” “is attributed by many to Edmund Burke”: would you please provide evidence that he coined the phrase?
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