Ellen Gutoskey
Joined: Jun 24, 2019
Ellen Gutoskey is a Mental Floss staff writer who especially loves covering pop culture, not-so-popular culture, literature, really tiny things, really giant things, and anything that was previously thought to be lost. She used to work in publishing, she's usually laughing, and you can follow her on Twitter @ellengutoskey.
Why Do We Tell People to Take Something “With a Grain of Salt”?
How to Use Worse vs. Worst Correctly in 6 Common Phrases
Why Do We Say “PU” When Something Stinks?
Where Did the Term ‘Up to Snuff’ Originate?
Are you not up to snuff when it comes to knowing the origin of ‘up to snuff’? We can help you with that.
Why Do Truck Drivers Say “10-4”?
“10-4” isn’t any quicker than saying “OK.” But it is a storied trucker tradition.
How Old Is Barbie Supposed to Be, Anyway?
It’s often said that Barbie is 19 years old, but the answer is a little more nuanced than that.
What Does “Bah, Humbug!” Actually Mean?
The meaning of ‘Bah, humbug!’ is a little more layered than what people normally attribute to Ebenezer Scrooge of ‘A Christmas Carol.’
36 Fun Wordle Alternatives for Every Kind of Puzzle Fan
No matter what you’re a fan of—math, music, Star Wars—there’s probably a game like Wordle out there for you.
What Do A.M. and P.M. Stand For?
The abbreviations are widely understood as “morning” and “afternoon,” but what do the Latin translations actually mean?
100 Weird and Wonderful Medieval Dog Names
Medieval dog names ran the gamut from 'Argument' to 'Feete.'
Who Is the Roger of ‘Roger That’?
Here's how 'Roger' came to mean "received" (and how 'wilco' fits in).
The 20 Most Commonly Mispronounced Names in the World
Here are 20 of the world's trickiest names, from ‘Sean’ to ‘Saoirse.’ (No, they’re not all Irish.)
Jazz Up Your Vocabulary With Mental Floss’s 2025 Word Nerd Desk Calendar
Our 2025 word-a-day calendar covers old-timey slang terms, fascinating phrase origins, and more.
‘What Hath God Wrought’: The Biblical Phrase That Made Scientific History
The origins of ‘what hath God wrought’ go much farther back than the first telegraph message.
20 Colorful Slang Terms From Olympic Sports
Here are 20 fun bits of Olympics slang, from diving’s ‘bingo’ to gymnastics’ ‘twisties.’