%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20684.6%2068.1%22%20style%3D%22enable-background%3Anew%200%200%20684.6%2068.1%3B%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cg%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M444.1%2C29.3h-17.4v14.5h17.4V29.3z%20M36.4%2C68.1l29.3-50.8V0H50.4L32.9%2C36.8L15.5%2C0H0v68.1h16.7V45.8l12.4%2C22.3H36.4z%0A%09%09%20M49.1%2C68.1h16.6V23.4L49.1%2C52.1V68.1z%20M76.6%2C68.1h45V53.8H93.3V41.6h21V27.1h-21V14.8h28.3V0.1h-45V68.1z%20M175.6%2C68.1h17.3v-68%0A%09%09h-16.5v40.3L150%2C0.1h-17.6v68h16.7V27.7L175.6%2C68.1z%20M235.8%2C14.8h15.4V0.1h-47.4v14.7H219v53.2h16.8V14.8z%20M290.3%2C45.9h-17.1%0A%09%09l7.5-15.6h2L290.3%2C45.9z%20M298.7%2C68.1h18l-32.2-68h-5.7l-32%2C68h18l3.3-7.1h27.1L298.7%2C68.1z%20M325.2%2C68.1h46.2V53.8h-29.6V0.1h-16.7%0A%09%09V68.1z%20M423.7%2C14.8h27.2V0.1H407v68h16.7V14.8z%20M462%2C68.1h46.2V53.8h-29.6V0.1H462V68.1z%20M564.8%2C34.1c0%2C10.7-7.2%2C19.2-18.5%2C19.2%0A%09%09c-11.4%2C0-18.5-8.5-18.5-19.2s7.1-19.2%2C18.5-19.2C557.6%2C14.9%2C564.8%2C23.4%2C564.8%2C34.1%20M580.6%2C34.1c0-19-14.2-34-34.3-34%0A%09%09c-20.2%2C0-34.3%2C15-34.3%2C34c0%2C19%2C14.1%2C34%2C34.3%2C34C566.4%2C68.1%2C580.6%2C53.1%2C580.6%2C34.1%20M604.8%2C20.5c0-4.1%2C3.3-6.2%2C6.7-6.2%0A%09%09c4.4%2C0%2C6.6%2C3%2C6.6%2C6.6h14.7C631.8%2C9.1%2C625.1%2C0.1%2C611%2C0.1c-12%2C0-21.7%2C9.3-21.7%2C20.6c0%2C10.9%2C5.9%2C15.9%2C16.7%2C19.8%0A%09%09c5.2%2C1.8%2C11.5%2C3.2%2C11.5%2C8c0%2C3.3-2.4%2C5.5-6.4%2C5.5c-3.6%2C0-6.6-3-6.6-6.7h-15.2c0%2C11.5%2C7.9%2C20.8%2C21.8%2C20.8c12%2C0%2C21.6-9.3%2C21.6-20.6%0A%09%09c0-10-5.3-16.4-16.7-19.8C610.6%2C26.1%2C604.8%2C25.3%2C604.8%2C20.5%20M670%2C20.9h14.7C683.8%2C9.1%2C677.1%2C0.1%2C663%2C0.1c-12%2C0-21.7%2C9.3-21.7%2C20.6%0A%09%09c0%2C10.9%2C5.9%2C15.9%2C16.7%2C19.8c5.2%2C1.8%2C11.5%2C3.2%2C11.5%2C8c0%2C3.3-2.4%2C5.5-6.4%2C5.5c-3.6%2C0-6.6-3-6.6-6.7h-15.2c0%2C11.5%2C7.9%2C20.8%2C21.8%2C20.8%0A%09%09c12%2C0%2C21.6-9.3%2C21.6-20.6c0-10-5.3-16.4-16.7-19.8c-5.4-1.6-11.3-2.4-11.3-7.2c0-4.1%2C3.3-6.2%2C6.7-6.2C667.7%2C14.4%2C670%2C17.3%2C670%2C20.9%0A%09%09%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
11 Dothraki Words and Phrases Every Game of Thrones Fan Should Know
If you're a 'Game of Thrones' fan who wants to know how to ask "Where are my dragons?" or say "Happy birthday!" in Dothraki, this is the list for you.
LANGUAGE
100 Words Turning 100 This Year
Join editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy as she journeys into the past to dig up a whopping 100 words that are turning 100 this year in our all-new Mental Floss List Show.
What's the Difference Between Tequila and Mezcal?
Tequila is always mezcal, but mezcal isn't always tequila. (And only one of them can come with worms, although it isn't exactly encouraged.)
15 Animal Names That Can Be Used As Verbs
From turtles to tigers, you can drop any one of these 15 creatures into your everyday conversation.
7 Words That Came About From People Getting Them Wrong
Whether it's pea, newt, or nickname, these words started out as other words entirely. Can you guess their original versions?
15 Obscure Words Every Pet Owner Needs in Their Vocabulary
If you’re a dog or cat owner, these words are worthy of a place in your vocabulary.
The Oxford English Dictionary Wants You to Share Your Profession's Slang Terms
Whether you 'banana' or 'sweat the pipes' at your job, the OED wants to know about it.
11 Totally Redundant Place Names
Pendle Hill is really Hill Hill Hill. Here are 11 others like that.
12 Old-Timey Ways of Saying “Nonsense”
Gammon and spinach!
32 Animals Named After the Noises They Make
Onomatopoeia is responsible for a lot more words than you might think. Laugh might have been invented to sound like, well, a laugh. Owl, crow, and raven are all descended from Old English words (ule, crawe, hræfn) that were meant to imitate the owl’s hoot
10 Fascinating Facts About the Thesaurus for National Thesaurus Day
Writers often turn to a thesaurus to diversify their vocabulary and add nuance to their prose. But looking up synonyms and antonyms in a thesaurus can help anyone—writer or not—find the most vivid, incisive words to communicate thoughts and ideas.
10 Endangered Alphabets You Should See Before It's Too Late
A Vermont-based writer is cataloguing rare scripts that are disappearing due to political conflicts and globalization.
50 Old British Dialect Words We Should Bring Back
9. CRUMPSY: Short-tempered and irritable.
15 Tasty Bits of Pizza Slang
Take your 'za vocabulary beyond 'za.
If You Want to Be a More Effective Writer, Stop Using Utilize and These Other 12 Words
Following this tip may be the easiest way to improve your writing.
6 Bits of Waffle House Kitchen Slang
And you thought choosing whether you wanted your Waffle House hash browns smothered, covered, or chunked was complicated.
Google Assistant's New 'Interpreter' Mode Can Translate 27 Languages in Real Time
Including French, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese.
7 Common Words With Little-Known Relatives
When some words hit the big time, they left clunky related words behind.
30 Old (and Useful) Slang Names for Parts of the Body
File these away in your brainpan.
22 Brilliant Old Nicknames For Animals
Try using these at your next visit to the zoo.
20 Words Turning 100 in 2019
From "apple-knocker" to "Xanadu."
Nomophobia Is Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year For 2018—And You Might Have It
It's something many of us have experienced.
20 Spanish Phrases You Should Be Using
Add a little fun to your vocabulary by dropping one of these 20 long-overlooked Spanish phrases into conversation.
If You Can Correctly Pronounce Every Word in This 1920s Poem, You’re Among the English-Speaking Elite
It starts out easy and gets progressively harder.