Published several decades after the first edition of Johnson’s dictionary, Francis Grose’s ‘A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue’ (1785) contained expressions that were already centuries old. Here’s a short history of a very familiar example, ‘arsy-varsey’. … More Falling Arse Over Tit Through History – A Lexical Journey
The Telegraph recently published an article entitled “Liberating, not lonely: the truth about being single”. The problem with this message is that it marginalises the importance of choice. A brief examination of an alternative ‘truth’. … More Liberating, not lonely? Another truth about being single.
A case study into the world of digital privacy in Pakistan has an unfortunate crossover with a personal incident that has made me consider the consequences of this kind of thing much more closely. … More WhatsApp, Facebook, and the Compromise of Digital Privacy
I recently came across the story of Vivian Maier, a nanny whose photography during the 1950s and 60s lay buried in boxes for decades. Her prints uncover the life and work of a remarkable woman who was a shrewd and silent observer of her age. … More Opening the Box of Private Art: Marvell & Maier
![The Bus Arrives [Image Credit: Guido Glob Modjib, via Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/glodjib/16372030716/]](https://writingprivacy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/nightbus.jpg?w=365&h=365&crop=1)
I’ve never been a ‘lad’ in the sense of predatory and loutish behaviour, but the annual scrutiny of ‘lad culture’ has made me concerned about my sense of humour and how potentially offensive it is. … More No offence! Please forgive my humour.
Inside the workplace, you’re quite often in your own little world. But it’s that little private zone which determines how good we really are. … More We are not all daydreamers
After six years of anonymity here at Writing Privacy, I’ve decided that it’s time to reveal myself. … More An End to Anonymity
Speaking at a drinks reception in February with our Head of Department, Professor Tim Allen, I began to realise where lines can cross between early modern studies and the fields of international development and social anthropology. … More Unexpected Conversations: Professor Tim Allen
A line of work we don’t think about too often is what happens to the dead when there’s nobody left. A poem by Rory Waterman and Uberto Pasolini’s remarkable ‘Still Life’ (2013) give us plenty of room for thought. … More Still Life
Why shouldn’t academics see the benefits in a taste of administrative life? … More The Inside View: an Academic-Turned-Administrator
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