Keith Johnston

Keith Johnston

Keith Johnston is a historian specializing in the 18th century. His research has appeared in both academic and general interest publications, and was once the subject of chatter on Slate’s Political Gabfest.

Attache ta tuque!

Québec slang, as heard in Montréal and elsewhere, is a remarkable 'méli-mélo' (hodgepodge) of ancient French, more recent borrowings from Arabic- and Haitian Creole-speaking communities, and English loanwords.

Keith Johnston
Nolan Ryan was famous for his high cheese that often turned into some uncomfortable chin music for batters.

How’s your hose? If the question is confusing—or sounds like someone is trying to sell you gardening equipment—you might not be up on your baseball slang. “Ever

Keith Johnston
Snap-dragon was just one unusual Victorian Christmas tradition.

Many Victorian Christmas traditions inspired our holiday rituals today. But some odd ones, like playing snap-dragon and other dangerous parlor games, are no longer common.

Keith Johnston
New York City's Short Tail Gang, photographed in 1887. The gang supposedly got its name from the short-tailed coats its members wore.

If you’re a fan of the TV show 'Peaky Blinders,' you already know that historical gangs could get very creative with their names. Here’s how 11 other creatively-named gangs came up with their monikers.

Keith Johnston
Ajwad Creative (SPEECH BUBBLE); Crisfotolux (statue) // iStock via Getty Images Plus

Despite its reputation as a learned language of science, religion, and philosophy, ancient Latin was in fact a rough-and-ready language full of strikingly frank insults designed to cut to the bone.

Keith Johnston
Let's hope these two lovebirds didn't follow any of the dubious sex advice making the rounds during the Victorian era.

Victorians had many manuals and advice books that discuss sex with surprising frankness. Here are 11 bits of Victorian sex wisdom—good, bad, and otherwise—published between 1837 and 1901.

Keith Johnston
"The best movies begin with an / encounter and end with someone setting someone free."

Poems have helped to create some of the most poignant scenes in movies—think of W.H. Auden’s "Funeral Blues" in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral,' or Elizabeth Bishop’s "One Art" in 'In Her Shoes.' Movies, in turn, have inspired some spectacular poems.

Keith Johnston