LANGUAGE

40 Zesty Z-Words To Add To Your Vocabulary

Don't be a zob—try using one of the 40 zazzy Z-words listed here.

A Royal Marine battles seasickness in an illustration from 'Army and Navy Drolleries' by Captain Seccombe, circa 1876.

The Cloudy Origins of the Phrase ‘Under the Weather’

The modern meaning of ‘under the weather’ involves feeling physically sick. But it wasn’t always so.

40 Useful Y-Words To Add To Your Vocabulary

Become a yarn-chopper, even if people accuse you of being prone to yaw-yaw.

10 Old-Timey Terms for ‘Treat’ to Try Out This Halloween

Why say “Trick or treat!” this Halloween when you could shout “Trick or junkery!” instead?

40 Words That Start With X

Only about 0.02 percent of the words in a dictionary start with the letter 'X.' Here are 40 of those rarities.

13 Words Coined by James Joyce

Making up words is a common internet pastime, but James Joyce was way ahead of the curve in this area. Discover 13 of the most fascinating words coined by the famed Irish author.

"Magnifying glass" is actually two words.

50 Strange Words You’ll Want to Start Using

In this episode ofThe List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares the meaning of 50 words you’ll be happy to know.