Mental Floss

SLANG

She's, like, totally a valley girl.

Ever wonder where slang terms like snafu, valley girl, and dumpster fire came from?

He clearly has egg on his face.

The English language is bursting with colorful expressions that come from strange and surprising places—and many of them once had literal meanings that the general public has long since forgotten.

Go with 'goozlum' instead of 'gravy' this Thanksgiving.

Go with ‘goozlum’ instead of ‘gravy’ this Thanksgiving.

These words trip up people the most.

Get the 411 on six-seven.

Sliced bread, rope, or something else?

‘Through thick and thin’ wasn’t always figurative. Here’s how Chaucer and other medieval writers used the phrase.

Shrink might be offensive to some.

The slang term for our mental health professionals has a rather grim history.

What does it even mean?!

Keeping track of what your kids are saying and meaning can be something of a parental nightmare. We’re here to help.

It’s time to brush up on your vocabulary.

Calling police officers “cops” dates to the 19th century.

Cutting down on syllables is just one reason ‘cop’ became synonymous with ‘police officer.’

Arnold Schwarzenegger at the 2023 premiere of 'FUBAR,' season 1.

The Arnold Schwarzenegger–starring Netflix series takes its title from World War II military slang. Here’s what 'fubar' means.

Open up and say ...

Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ isn’t just an enduring summer classic—it also includes plenty of fun slang terms that’ll make you feel like its Shark Week all year long.

If you see a knight wearing a gauntlet, pray he keeps it on.

A knight throwing down his glove in Medieval Europe meant serious business.

When life gives you lemons, return to the dealership.

Cars aren’t a piece of fruit, so how did they come to be associated with lemons? Discover how this slang term got adopted in the automotive world and what it really means.

Office-related buzzwords aren‘t helpful. They‘re just annoying.

Tired of corporate lingo? You‘re not alone. A new report breaks down which office phrases Americans wish would disappear for good.

Big bucks.

Everyone knows a buck means a dollar. But not everyone knows why.

American soldiers in Vietnam, 1967.

Military slang grew by leaps and bounds during the Vietnam War. Here are some terms worth knowing.

The Vietnamese word ‘cột sống’ technically means “spine”—but to the country’s Gen Zers, it’s slang for something else entirely.

Believe it or not, “ASL“ means “age, sex, location“ and “as hell“ in text messages.

If you‘re wondering what FAFO or SMH means, you aren‘t alone.

Coffee goes by many names.

There are many slang terms for coffee, but where does a “cup of joe“ come from? There are a few theories.

We dig down to the root of the issue.

Where did this weather-related idiom come from?

Where did this curious expression come from, and what’s so right about rain, anyway?

“Gaslighting“ is the most commonly searched term in the U.S.

If you’ve ever looked up the definition of “gaslighting,” you’re not alone.

‘Six feet under’ may be an obvious nod to death, but other phrases are a little trickier.

What’s a wazoo, and why do we invoke it?

On the possible origins of ‘wazoo,’ and why things are said to tumble out of it.