This Word Stories instalment digs deep into the history of common English words, to celebrate the legacy of Proto-Indo-European or PIE.

January is a forward-looking month, so it seems appropriate that sci-fi lovers have chosen this time of year to mark Science Fiction Day. It’s also a good time for word lovers to celebrate the way English has been enriched in recent centuries by science and science fiction.

As food lovers celebrate Sandwich Day, can you explain why hot dogs contain no dog, hamburgers contain no ham, and dagwoods contain no wood? This month’s Word Stories will nourish your curiosity by examining some common words associated with the noble yet humble sandwich.

At first glance, the words adder and apron don’t seem to have much in common. However, these words are bound together by a curious linguistic process called metanalysis. This month’s Word Stories shines a spotlight on some common words created by a mistake that became the rule.