Mental Floss

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David Bowie in 1999.

The groundbreaking artist made history in 1999 with his album ‘Hours’ when he sold it as an internet download before it hit stores: “Mark my words … we are not going back to record companies and through shops.”

Jon O'Brien


Grab your magnifying glass.

We give you an obscure word with four definitions—one correct, three made up. Can you identify the correct one?

Ellen Gutoskey












See if you can decipher this twisted tune.

We ran the lyrics of a hit song through multiple languages, then translated them back into English. Can you figure out what the song is, or who performed it?

mentalfloss .com










From ‘six-foot bungalow’ to ‘pine overcoat,’ there have been some creative euphemisms for coffins over the ages—and some terms that were surprisingly (and uncomfortably) direct.

Mark Peters