# bodger (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover bodger. Page: Feed: --- ## [The Obscure Word History of Eclipse](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/08/17/the-obscure-word-history-of-eclipse/) _2026-08-17 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, In the wake of last week’s partial solar eclipse here in Ireland I’m taking a look at the history of the word itself. Thankfully for this particular “look” I don’t need to source a pair of eclipse glasses, as a I reckon they’re sold out everywhere. We were unable to find a pair ourselves \[…\] ## [The Crafty Word History of Bodger](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/08/10/the-crafty-word-history-of-bodger/) _2026-08-10 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, Regular readers of Wordfoolery will know that I never met a craft I didn’t like (except for felting…definitely not for me) so when I came across the word bodger recently I couldn’t resist trying to find its history. The reference was in Amy Licence’s “Woodsmoke and Sage” an excellent reference book about how Tudors \[…\] ## [The Ever Shortening History of the Word Mob](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/08/03/the-ever-shortening-history-of-the-word-mob/) _2026-08-03 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, This week’s word is mob and comes with thanks to “The Story of English in 100 Words” by David Crystal which brought it to my attention. This one is thanks to the Romans which might not be what you’d expect for a word that ends with organised crime groups in the 1900s. Mob entered \[…\] ## [The Foolish Word History of Fopdoodle](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/07/27/the-foolish-word-history-of-fopdoodle/) _2026-07-27 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, As you might expect, given the name of this blog, I have a particular fondness for foolish words and this week’s word is doubly foolish so it has earned its place here. Fopdoodle is one I picked up thanks to David Crystal’s excellent book “The Story of English in 100 Words” where he uses \[…\] ## [The Egyptian Roots of Dismal](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/07/20/the-egyptian-roots-of-dismal/) _2026-07-20 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, Hopefully you’re having a wonderful summer (or winter for readers south of the equator) but if not, have you considered that you’re under a dismal influence? The word dismal entered English around 1400 to describe something as inauspicious or unlucky and the reason why brings us back to Egyptian astrologers, so stay with me \[…\] ## [The Greek History of Enigma](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/07/13/the-greek-history-of-enigma/) _2026-07-13 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, I’d love to believe I project an enigmatic persona, although that’s pretty unlikely. But where do we get enigma and enigmatic from? For this one we need to visit the Greeks again. They really did exert a tremendous influence on the English language down through the centuries. Engima entered English in the early 1500s \[…\] ## [The Ancient Greek History of Bruxism](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/07/06/the-ancient-greek-history-of-bruxism/) _2026-07-06 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, This week’s word is bruxism and we have the ancient Greeks to thank for it. I love discovering everyday facts about the past that help me to realise we’ve so much in common with our ancestors as well as our contemporaries, and this word in one of those little gateways. So what does bruxism \[…\] ## [Old Measures – a Firkin](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/06/29/old-measures-a-firkin/) _2026-06-29 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, This week’s word is an old form of measurement and I’m sharing it here with thanks to Noelle, who stumbled across it and shared it with me – a firkin. Once upon a time, long before the creation of plastics, goods were transported and sold in barrels and sacks. My father-in-law sold tea from \[…\] ## [The Paper Roots of the Word Cartoon](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/06/22/the-paper-roots-of-the-word-cartoon/) _2026-06-22 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, This week’s word is cartoon and I’m not just talking about animations of a cat and mouse at war with each other. No, cartoon has an older history, and of course a political side too. The word cartoon entered English in the late 1600s where it described a drawing on strong paper which was \[…\] ## [Trade Smarter With IBKR (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/Is5t3mFjhaxN) _2026-06-22 · **Sponsored**_ Join Interactive Brokers through a referral and start investing with low-cost global access. ## [The Greek Story Behind the Word Hermaphrodite](https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/06/15/the-greek-story-behind-the-word-hermaphrodite/) _2026-06-15 · wordfoolery · Wordfoolery_ Hello, I came across the Greek roots of this week’s word recently, possibly on a podcast, but sadly I didn’t jot it down. Before I get started, I’ll note that hermaphrodite is an out-dated term in science. The more correct term now is intersex – which is a good thing as it’s clearer. However, hermaphrodite \[…\]