What States Are Using What Curse Words?

Today's series of maps come from linguist Jack Grieve. Grieve looks at specific words in geotagged Tweets and converts them into maps that show where and what people are saying. Although his Twitter is jam-packed with lots of different words, the most fun are the curse words. The higher the amount of cussing, the redder the region on the map. As you can see, the South is fond of softer curses like "darn" and "gosh," while New York has no problem pulling out "a**hole." Keep in mind this data is strictly Twitter-based, so the maps are most likely representative of a younger base of speakers. You can see the rest of the maps—a lot have NSFW language that made our staff blush—on Grieve's Twitter




The Afternoon Map is a semi-regular feature in which we post maps and infographics. In the afternoon. Semi-regularly.

Friday’s Best Amazon Deals Include Samsonite Luggage, Smart Notebooks, and Fitbits

Samsonite
Samsonite
As a recurring feature, our team combs the web and shares some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. Here’s what caught our eye today, December 11. Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

The Most Popular Holiday Dessert in Each State, Mapped

Is your state sticking with the classics, or chowing down on cheesecake?
Is your state sticking with the classics, or chowing down on cheesecake?
Aleksandra Tanasiienko, Unsplash

Candy canes and Christmas cookies might be the MVPs of the holiday season in theory, but Americans appear to be savoring different desserts in practice—namely, cheesecake.

After analyzing last December’s Google Trends data for more than 40 holiday treats, online recruiter Zippia found that 11 states put up surprisingly high numbers for cheesecake. Most of them seem to have gone for classic recipes, but two states got creative: Hawaii favored Oreo cheesecake, while Pennsylvania preferred gingerbread cheesecake. Pennsylvania wasn’t the only state to pay homage to gingerbread’s legacy as a holiday staple. Colorado and Maryland went for gingerbread cake, and New Hampshire and Virginia both chose an even more traditional route—gingerbread men.

Cheesecake and gingerbread don’t seem tied to certain regions, but red velvet just might be. The three states that bake red velvet cake in abundance are Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. If you move slightly north of those Southern neighbors, you’ll run into another cake trend: North and South Carolina apparently have a soft spot for fruitcake.

Residents of other states would rather dip a hand in the candy bowl than spend hours measuring and mixing in the kitchen. Washingtonians have an affinity for Skittles, Utahns love Jolly Ranchers, and Alaskans go for M&Ms (presumably red and green ones). Illinois and New Jersey, on the other hand, like their chocolate shaped like Santa around the holidays. Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee are all busy whipping up pudding, though we don’t know whether it’s figgy or not.

Find out if your own favorite seasonal treat made the map below, and learn more about Zippia’s study here.

Utahns are having a holly Jolly Rancher Christmas.Zippia

[h/t Zippia]