LANGUAGE

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.

40 Wonderful W-Words To Widen Your Vocabulary

Whether you're writative or just trying to be a linguistic wheel-horse, these words are for you.

You might know someone who qualifies as a bananenbieger.

30 Hilarious German Insults You Should Start Using Immediately

One translates to "asparagus Tarzan." Another means "bag of whale blubber." In fact, some of these are so amusing you might not even mind being insulted.

These little witches look like they might be running a gum-game.

11 Delightful Old-Timey Words for Tricks

Tricks aren’t just for kids anymore—nor are trick words! Here are 11 old-timey words for pranks and capers, perfect for when you’re feeling curmudgeonly about Halloween revelers knocking on your door for treats.