Word of Mouth Articles
Word of Mouth - Handwriting, remember it?
Word of Mouth
Today Garry Littman is talking about handwriting. Remember that? Hand-writing, yes it was a combination of a hand-held, low tech instrument called a pen which could be applied to vegetal prod...
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Word of Mouth - Breaking in, breaking out and breaking up
Word of Mouth
The English language is relatively simple, according to many, especially when compared with French verbs and the unnecessary complications of learning whether a table or a wall is feminine or mascu...
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Word of Mouth - Brian is in the kitchen...
Word of Mouth
A question for you. Where is Brian? Brian is in the kitchen. And... my tailor is rich. Here are two phrases that may inspire a groan or a sigh for a French speaker learning English. They ...
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Word of Mouth - CERN and the goat gods
Word of Mouth
For this week's episode of Word of Mouth, Garry takes a look at some of the best conspiracy theories about Switzerland and devil worship, partly encouraged by some cheeky scientists with a sense of...
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Word of Mouth - The criminal lunatic who wrote the dictionary
Word of Mouth
Work began in 1857 on the book that would later be known as the Oxford English Dictionary. After five years, the project had reached the word 'ant'. Why so slow? The project called on volunt...
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Word of Mouth - Absinthe; the drink of artists
Word of Mouth
Welcome to part two of three episodes about the infamous drink absinthe which began its life in a small village near Neuchatel in Switzerland in 1792.
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Word of Mouth - When absinthe was cheaper than wine
Word of Mouth
This is the first of three episodes from Garry Littman about the cult drink absinthe. It’s a story that begins well and ends rather badly.
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Word of Mouth - Johan Caspar Lavater; the 18th century Zuckerberg?
Word of Mouth
Question: Can you judge a book by its cover or a person by their facial features? Well we probably would say no, but in effect we do this subconsciously all the time. One Swiss man devoted h...
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Word of Mouth - The real Swiss witches
Word of Mouth
Today Garry Littman is talking about witches. Not Halloween witches, pumpkins or flying brooms, but thousands of innocent women and some men who were found guilty of sorcery and burned at the stake...
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Word of Mouth - Eurovision
Word of Mouth
If I said to you... kitsch and camp, smoke machines, pop/rock with strange accents, over-sized flags, and a bearded lady, I bet 99 per cent of you would instantly think of, wait for it…… yes, the E...
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Word of Mouth - Foodie!
Word of Mouth
It’s time to talk about one of our favourite subjects - food. Most English words that concern cooking and eating come from the kitchens of France such as cuisine, omelette, entrée, ...
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Word of Mouth - Swiss Family Robinson
Word of Mouth
The book Robinson Crusoe, written in by Daniel Defoe in 1719, is said to be the first English novel. The book’s success launched the Robinson genre – epic stories about the lost and the...
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Word of Mouth - Marmots & the bubonic plague
Word of Mouth
This week Garry has been looking at killers. The greatest killer of our species - homo sapiens - are not those with sharp serrated teeth. Our greatest mass murderer so far, is the female mosquito. ...
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Word of Mouth - Tintin & famous Picards
Word of Mouth
This week Garry Littman has been investigating Europe's most famous detective journalist. His name is Tintin - the hero of cartoon book adventures, written and illustrated by Hergé.
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Word of Mouth - Goatman
Word of Mouth
The Swiss are very fond of their mountain goats. One man – an Englishman – transformed himself into a Swiss mountain goat and went to live with a herd of goats near the village of Wo...
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Word of Mouth - LSD (25 Oct 2016)
Word of Mouth
If you’re of a certain age you may remember the Beatles’ song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds – a song that celebrates the psychedelic properties of the drug LSD. LSD was discove...
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Word of Mouth - Tennis & kings
Word of Mouth
Each week Garry Littman brings you some of the most curious facts from the most interesting tales of Swiss history and individuals. Garry uncovers truth behind the legends and Swiss folklore that m...
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Word of Mouth - The King's Bottom
Word of Mouth
Today Garry Littman would like to talk to you about a bottom. No ordinary bottom, but a king’s bottom; and no ordinary king, but the most regal of French kings - the Sun King. King Louis&#...
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Word of Mouth - Barry the Great
Word of Mouth
In this week's episode of Word of Mouth Garry Littman takes a look at Swiss heroes. And there are none braver than Barry the Great. Sorry, it’s not your turn Mr William...
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