Posts Tagged: geography

Metaphorical places—crossing the Rubicon and finding El Dorado

I find great pleasure in seeing how history is embedded in our language with words having travelled with us through many generations. I was thinking particularly about how certain places have become metaphors for the attributes that they are most well known for. Here are some of the most well-known metaphorical places Crossing The Rubicon […]
Osama bin Laden finds his ending in abad place

Osama bin Laden, has been assassinated in his compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan. Abad is a very common ending for cities in the sub-continent.

Marque—is Jaguar reverting to type?11/10/2026
Jaguar releases the Type 01 This week the Jaguar car company released its new electric car, the Type 01. Jaguar has delivered on its controversial 2024 advertising campaign and Type 00 concept, which attracted widespread ridicule. One journalist suggested that “the marque, again, [is] putting its future on the line”. Famous for its sports cars… Read more: Marque—is Jaguar reverting to type?
Genericide & Entwisle Model of Brand Overshoot01/10/2026
A mate recently sent me a word he thought might interest me—genericide. There are quite a few everyday words that you might not know started life as trademarks: cellophane, aspirin, trampoline and escalator. I came across the same phenomenon in a previous post with cafetière for a coffee plunger. There is something quite ironic about… Read more: Genericide & Entwisle Model of Brand Overshoot
What’s for pudding?27/09/2026
As an English-born Australian I have the “lived experience” of navigating the differences between Australian English and British English. It is a fun place to play but sometimes the two just don’t reconcile. One of the most grating is how the English can call dessert “pudding”. I was brought up with Christmas puddings, suet puddings… Read more: What’s for pudding?

Metaphorical places—crossing the Rubicon and finding El Dorado