Comments on: From lynching to dunces: 10 Awful Words and the people they’re named for

By: Curtis

Curtis — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:03:21 +0000

You ought to add the word “sadism”, the word that came from the French writer “Marquis de Sade”, author of “120 Days of Sodom”, probably one of the most disturbing pieces of literature ever produced.

By: anotherfascist

anotherfascist — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:15:32 +0000

Gerrymandering from Massachusetts governor Eldridge Gerry.

By: ArtW

ArtW — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:04:40 +0000

Harry Fink was one of the first workers to go back to work after a textile-workers strike in England. And there have been Finks ever since.

By: Miranda

Miranda — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 08:13:56 +0000

Titsling and Crapper are both urban myths (Crapper existed but he didn’t actually invent the toilet), and Santorum, while amusing, isn’t a word you’ll find in any dictionary. Maybe in 100 years, the word “santorum” will show up on a Mental Floss list.

By: Brad Greenwood

Brad Greenwood — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:16:34 +0000

Was a guy named Titsling the inventor of the modern brassiere?

By: Clutch

Clutch — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:43:18 +0000

Let’s add Dick Cheney.

By: Charles

Charles — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:22:50 +0000

Lest we forget Thomas L. Crapper. I think you know what he invented.

By: Will

Will — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:58:06 +0000

What about “Quisling,” after the Norwegian who collaborated with the Nazis and ruled over Norway during WWII?

By: nik

nik — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:10:46 +0000

What about “munsoned”? Form Kingpin.

By: Sally

Sally — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:57:05 +0000

I know for the people I know and talk to bogart extends past drugs. For us it means if you hog anything you are bogarting it. I didn’t even know it came out of a drug slang.