"EVERY WORD CARRIES A HIDDEN JOURNEY"

Author SUMANTO CHATTOPADHYAY discusses his book Stories of Words and Phrases, revealing quirky origins and why etymology deepens language and meaning, in this conversation with

- By Noor Fathima Warsia

What inspired you to transform The English Nut from a digital video series into a full-length book?

When I started The English Nut as a video series, my goal was to make etymology accessible, entertaining and shareable in bite-sized form. Over time, I realised the stories deserved a roomier format, one that wasn't bound by runtime or algorithms. One that allowed me to include multiple origin theories and connect history, culture and pop culture. Then the project took an unexpected leap: Rupa Publications discovered The English Nut and commissioned the book and we set off on the long, happy slog of writing, editing and verification.

In the introduction, you describe words as 'tiny time capsules'. Can you elaborate on how that shaped your approach to researching this book?

Thinking of words as 'tiny time capsules' meant treating each entry like an artefact, opening it to find the history, technology and human quirks sealed inside. For instance, 'quarantine' preserves the Italian public-health policy (quaranta giorni, forty days) from the bubonic plague of the 14th century, while 'deadline' still carries the shadow of a literal line of death in an American Civil War prison yard, meanings that have later shifted into our everyday sense.

Was there a word or phrase whose origin sur-prised you the most during your research?