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

Can You Spot All the Hidden Sayings in This 450-Year-Old Painting?

Wikimedia Commons

Can You Spot All the Hidden Sayings in This 450-Year-Old Painting?

18 Fancy Words for Specific Shapes

Use anguilloform to describe something eel-shaped.

18 Fancy Words for Specific Shapes

11 Grammar Lessons From a Leaked CIA Style Book

"Accidentally misfired" and "young baby" are redundant terms that should not be used.

11 Grammar Lessons From a Leaked CIA Style Book

Why Do We Call Hit Movies Blockbusters?

andresr/iStock via Getty Images

Why Do We Call Hit Movies Blockbusters?

Why Do We Say Something Is Brand-New or Brand-Spanking New?

Why Do We Call Kindergarten Kindergarten?

Kindergarten survived some early controversy to become part of the American education system.

Immigrate vs. Emigrate: What’s the Difference?

A 19th-century illustration of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. Or are they emigrants?

12 Common Words That Were Once Considered Terrible Jargon

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people had it in for the word demote.

The Word Boycott Comes From a British Land Agent Shunned by His Town

A cartoon depicting Irish rent boycotts from December 1880.

Poop, Boob, and Other Terms Apple Won’t Engrave on Your New AirTags

Absent-minded people, rejoice.

How to Tell Whether You've Got Angst, Ennui, or Weltschmerz

Is it angst, ennui, or weltschmerz?

Why Are Left-Handed People Called Southpaws?

Notable southpaw Tommy John pitching for the New York Yankees in the 1980s.

Why Do We Say 'Close, But No Cigar'?

The original carnival prize.

The Reason Some Businesses Refer to Customers as Guests

Being called a 'guest' of a retail business is not really grammatically correct.

Choose From 14 Languages to Learn With a Lifetime Membership to Babbel

Stackcommerce

The Fascinating Origins of 12 Beautiful Flower Names

Sabine Hortebusch/iStock via Getty Images

1...345...68