LANGUAGE

George Everest gave his name, if not the pronunciation of it, to Mount Everest.

The phrase used to describe a has-been reality star or trend originated on the battlefield.

Discover the meanings and origins behind 10 of the most popular bits of Generation Alpha slang, from “skibidi” to “rizz” (and everything in between).

A handful of centuries-old sailing words remain known only to the saltiest of seamen, but some have become part of our everyday language.

Test your knowledge of Victorian slang with this quiz that’s bang up to the elephant.

‘Having an albatross around your neck’ means “facing an inescapable burden.” As for where the phrase originated, you can thank classic literature.

When “Midnight’s Children” was released in 1981, The New York Times pronounced that “the literary map of India is about to be redrawn.” Here’s what you should know about the novel that introduced the authorial voice of Salman Rushdie.

Idioms like Mandarin’s ‘take your pants off to fart’ make no sense to English speakers—at least, not English speaker who haven’t read this list.

From ‘kibosh’ to ‘niche,’ these words can trip up even the most meticulous English speakers.

The origins of ‘what hath God wrought’ go much farther back than the first telegraph message.

The abbreviations are widely understood as “morning” and “afternoon,” but what do the Latin translations actually mean?

In the 2000s, the internet took over, as did social media, streaming, and cell phones that were also cameras and tiny computers. The slang of this era didn’t disappoint, either: From amazeballs to mukbang and beyond, here are some terms you might not have