Do British people realise you’re not a native speaker of English as soon as you start talking? Don’t worry. That doesn’t mean you have a terrible level of English. Actually, it might mean you speak too well. One of the things that often give foreign people away is how formal they sound when they’re speaking in(…)

People often say ‘it’s all Greek to me’ when they don’t understand something. However, if you’re learning Greek you might just have to find a new phrase. Luckily, in Greek you can say Εἶναι γιὰ μένα κινέζικα (Íne gia ména kinézika), which means ‘it’s Chinese to me’. If you speak Chinese too, there’s always Εἶναι(…)

In the 500 or so years since Spain first began its conquest of Mexico, the Spanish language has developed into its own Mexican dialect. Influenced by Mexico’s indigenous languages, the country’s culture and the people’s surroundings, the Spanish of Mexico may have its roots in Spain, but it has taken on a life of its(…)

There are many phrases and idioms we bandy about in every day conversation, but have you ever wondered how they came to be in common parlance?