Paul Anthony Jones

Joined: Jun 20, 2014

Paul Anthony Jones is a writer and musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. He is the author of word origins guide Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons, and runs its tie-in Twitter account @HaggardHawks.

Mapped: The Fastest-Growing Cities and Towns in America

Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #42

Where Did the Phrase ‘Beat Around the Bush’ Come From?

Tax Your Brain With These 5 Victorian Riddles

Mapped: The States With the Worst Road Rage

How did your state rank?

Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #41

The riddle below dates back to the mid-1800s—can you figure it out?

The Official Languages Found in the Most Countries of the World, Mapped

English came out on top by a large margin.

Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #40

This riddle dates back to the 1860s—can you figure out the answer?

8 Extraordinary Examples of Constrained Writing

At the most extreme, some forms of constrained writing are even more self-limiting and end up being very, very constrained indeed.

Quiz: Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #39

The riddle below dates back to 1875—can you figure it out?

Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #38

This riddle dates back to the 1920s—can you figure out the answer?

12 Distant Places in the Solar System (And What They’re Named After)

From famous musicians to literary landmarks to mythological figures—and beyond.

Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #37

This riddle dates back to 1927—can you figure out the answer?

Would You Have Passed This 1920s Pronunciation Test?

“Penelope Cholmondely raised her azure eyes from the crabbed scenario” is just the beginning.

Where Does the Expression ‘Pull Out All the Stops’ Come From?

‘Pulling out all the stops’ means that someone is holding nothing back and making every conceivable effort to do or accomplish something. But where did the phrase come from? Pipe organs have a little something to do with it.

Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #36

The riddle below dates back to 1750—can you figure it out?