language - Trivia, Quizzes, and Brain Teasers | Mental Floss

What Does It Mean to ‘Put the Kibosh’ on Something?

RichLegg/iStock via Getty Images

What Does It Mean to ‘Put the Kibosh’ on Something?

20 Latin Words for Not-So-Lovely Things

Cloaca just ... sounds better.

20 Latin Words for Not-So-Lovely Things

The Science Behind Why People Hate the Word Moist

There's a good reason you hate the word moist—and it might surprise you.

The Science Behind Why People Hate the Word Moist

6 Latin Abbreviations You Should Know

bankrx/iStock via Getty Images

6 Latin Abbreviations You Should Know

20 Obscure Words to Describe Collectors

If you or someone you know collects postcards, there's a word for that.

Blue Collar vs. White Collar Jobs: What’s the Difference?

If they're not sitting at a desk all day, they might be a blue-collar worker.

The Literary Origin of the Phrase 'To Have an Albatross Around Your Neck'

The albatross visits the Mariner and his crew in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," as illustrated in 1876 by Gustave Doré.

Why Is TV Called the 'Boob Tube'?

"Go play outside!"

20 Words and Phrases Every British Royal Family Enthusiast Should Know

After reading this list, you will never mix up regent and regnant again.

'Tonsil Is Soft, Fossil Is Not': 9 Palindrome Winners from This Year’s SymmyS Awards

Bychykhin_Olexandr/iStock via Getty Images

Vaccination vs. Immunization vs. Inoculation: What's the Difference?

A medical professional does the vaccination; your body does the immunization.

11 Delightful Icelandic Words and Phrases

Does this look like gluggaveður to you?

Why Do Quarterbacks Say 'Hut'?

Screaming out "gimme!" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

7 Surprising Places We Got Phrases About Food

IRINA KROLEVETC/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Where Did the Phrase 'Fall Off the Wagon' Originate?

This man does not appear to be occupying a wagon.

10 Things To Know About African American Language

African American English derives from a historical past of contact between multiple language speakers. It varies across age, ethnicity, class, and gender. There is more than one AAE.