The True Origin of the Word Nightmare
Discover the terrifying true origin of the word nightmare and how an ancient demon gave its name to our bad…
Founder & Lead Wordsmith at Letters & Letters
Alan Sledge is the writer and founder behind Letters & Letters. A lifelong lover of words, Alan has always been drawn to the small mysteries hidden in everyday language, why we say what we say, where our favorite sayings came from and the quotes that manage to put feelings into words better than we ever could ourselves.
Discover the terrifying true origin of the word nightmare and how an ancient demon gave its name to our bad…
Discover 25 verified Marcus Aurelius quotes from Meditations, their true context, and core Stoic themes.
Discover the true origin of the word assassin and learn how a medieval Persian sect shaped its history.
Discover the origin of the word disaster and how it relates to ancient astrology.
The real history of crocodile tears dates back centuries to ancient myths.
Discover the true origin of the word muscle and why ancient Romans compared it to a little mouse.
Discover the true origin of the phrase bite the bullet, from military myths to Rudyard Kipling.
Discover the true origin of the word salary, its Latin roots, the Roman salt myth, and how the term evolved…
Discover the historical origin of the word berserk, separate Norse myths from the true etymology, and learn how it entered…
Discover the true origin of the phrase raining cats and dogs. We debunk Norse myths and explore Jonathan Swift's role…