This year Accuracy Matters is celebrating its first decade in business. So how did we get here? Rachel Nixon shares the origin story of the company.

The calendar tells me it’s the end of December but I still can’t quite believe it: 2021 has buzzed past in a blur.

My childhood home had a very strange collection of VHS tapes. A lot of westerns, some musicals and a rag-tag selection of films recorded off the telly – remember recording films off the telly? – were available to us. They were the perfect babysitters and no one really seemed to mind about too much screen time in the 80s.

The clampdown came following an overheard conversation in an Italian restaurant, south of the river in Lambeth, London. Someone had mentioned that they were working on a public inquiry. Nothing about the contents was revealed – but the fact that this report was being worked on in an office building not far from the restaurant was clear from what was

I’ve always been fond of a historic house and garden (the children less so) but if there’s outdoor space then we might all be happy. Plus, when we get to visit a ruin or house maintained by English Heritage, then I get to see the great work we do for them in situ.

I’ve been obsessed with dictionaries since I was small. Stuck for something to read? Flick (or click if we’re talking about this century) through the dictionary for half an hour.

I don’t know about anyone else, but rainy childhood afternoons often found me gazing at OS (Ordnance Survey) maps. I would giddily trace paths across dramatically close-bunched contour lines depicting hills and gorges, or along meandering lines drawn far apart to show wide, gentle valleys.

Apparently, I think too fast. At least, that’s the flattering explanation Quora offered for my tendency – shared, I’m pleased to say with millions of others – to miss out the occasional word as we type.

14th February this year isn’t just about celebrating loving relationships with people, it’s also about celebrating love of books!

Merriam-Webster reported last week that they had added 520 new words into their dictionaries for January 2021. These include hard pass, cancel culture, coworking, ASMR, hygge and Second Gentleman (note the initial capitals, as in First Lady), which is Doug Emhoff’s official title following Kamala Harris’s election as Vice President.