LANGUAGE

17 Scary Sayings for 'Ghost' From Across the United States

Familiarize yourself with these spooky slang terms for the spectral from the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE).

Grandparent nicknames are different all over.

'Grandude': America's Most Common Grandparent Nicknames

Calling a grandparent 'Grandmother' or 'Grandfather' is so played out.

Why Is the First Episode of a TV Show Called a ‘Pilot’?

Getting a concept onto the big screen is a difficult process, and the pilot episode is what can make—or, more often, break—a series. By why is it called that?

Windsocks can tell you which way the bise blows.

21 Wonderful Words for Wind

Geographers and climatologists have a goody bag full of wonderful words that get super specific about wind.

Use of the word ‘placebo’ in a medical context is more recent than you might think.

Why Is It Called the “Placebo Effect”?

What is a placebo? Technically, a Latin phrase meaning ‘I will please.’ It’s also a Catholic prayer and a clever insult.

(Left to right) Yves Saint Laurent, Brigitte Bardot, and Claude Monet.

21 French Names You’re Probably Mispronouncing

The pronunciations of names like ‘Yves’ and ‘Geneviève’ aren’t hard once you’ve heard them a few times.

Disinformation vs. Misinformation: What’s the Difference?

The difference between misinformation and disinformation boils down to the intent behind it (or lack thereof). Plus, a handy trick for knowing which term to use when the time comes.

Even words that don’t seem scary might have spooky origins.

10 Common Words With Spooky Etymologies

Ghosts, ghouls, and monsters turn up everywhere at Halloween—including in our language, and sometimes where you least expect.

You’ll want to start using these butt-related euphemisms from days past.

13 Old and Obscure Terms for the Butt

When talking about the fundament, some terms have slipped through the crack of lexical history—so please enjoy these old and enjoyable terms for the hindquarters.

The OED features 600,000 words over a thousand years of the English language.

13 Fascinating Facts About the Oxford English Dictionary

It took more than 70 years and tons of volunteer labor to create “the definitive record of the English language”—including an assist from a murderer. Get to know the Oxford English Dictionary better.

‘Flippy-floppy’ is an example of a reduplicative word.

A Higgledy-Piggledy Look at 12 Rare Reduplicative Words

Though these words sound like fiddle-faddle, they have specific uses that go beyond yada yada and twittle-twattle.

The Surprisingly Long History of the Word ‘Yo’

The word ‘yo’ was around long before Rocky movies and rap songs.

Koalas Aren’t Bears, So Why Do People Call Them “Koala Bears”?

If you were an 18th-century settler in Australia with no knowledge of marsupials, you just might decide to call a koala a ‘bear,’ right?

21 Old and Odd Directional Words

The rich history of the English language is full of similar directional words that are cool but uncommon, like ‘pancakewards,’ ‘couchward,’ and ‘pocketwards.’

‘Boo’ didn’t originate as a ghostly saying.

Why Do Ghosts Say “Boo”?

If linguistics is any indicator, it would appear that everybody in the spirit realm speaks Scots English.

The cover of Emily Wilson’s translation of ‘The Iliad.’

A New Translation of ’The Iliad’ Is Bringing a Truer Ancient Greece to Modern Readers

This all-new translation of the Homer epic is six years in the making.

‘Avocado’ doesn’t mean what you think it means.

11 Common English Words That Come From Native American Languages

‘Avocado’ comes to us from Nahuatl—and it doesn’t mean what you might think it means.

9 Fake Words That Ended Up in the Dictionary

Ghost words have nothing to do with otherworldly apparitions, but they’re enough to scare the headwords off lexicographers.

Where did this phrase come from, anyway?

Why Do We Say “Trick or Treat” on Halloween?

The origins of the phrase (indirectly) involve smelly cabbage, Donald Duck, and several Canadian journalists.

How Did ‘Jones’ Come to Mean ‘Craving’?

Nowadays, we use jones to express an intense craving for something. But it used to refer specifically to drugs.

English doesn’t always abide by its own rules.

5 Ways the English Language Breaks Its Own Rules

English, the language of Shakespeare and the internet, is often touted for its flexibility and adaptability. But with great flexibility comes great inconsistenc

‘Rizz,’ ‘Girlboss,’ and 23 Other Terms Merriam-Webster Just Added to the Dictionary

Knowing the meaning of ‘rizz’ can help you connect with the Gen Zers in your life.

Where Did the Term ‘Up to Snuff’ Originate?

Are you not up to snuff when it comes to knowing the origin of ‘up to snuff’? We can help you with that.

Why Are Unidentified People Called John or Jane Doe?

From the courts to the morgue, if the government doesn't know someone's name or wants to withhold it, they give them one of these as a placeholder. Why?

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