Why Does ‘Late’ Mean “Dead”?
There’s a historical reason, but there may be a social one as well.
There’s a historical reason, but there may be a social one as well.
Not everyone gives directions the way you do—in fact, the way people tell others how to get where they want to go can vary by city, town, and culture. Some of these directional systems might just change how you navigate the world.
Suggestions for what to call the period of time from 2000–2009 ranged from ‘the nillies’ and ‘the oh-ohs’ to ‘the double zeroes’ and ‘the noughties.’ So how’d we land on ‘the aughts’?
Next time you’re in the Hub, you can let your Masshole flag fly with these Boston slang terms that will have you sounding like a townie in no time.
Eggs aren’t the only things you can devil.
Cricket chirps can reach 100 decibels. So why do we use them as a byword for ‘silence’?
Let’s hope no one tells you, “Eres tan feo/a qué hiciste llorar a una cebolla” on your next trip abroad.
‘Once Upon a Time’ appears in many fairy tales and stories. The phrase has a long history and a practical narrative purpose.
Roosevelt launched one of his most famous sayings at the Minnesota State Fair in September 1901—just two weeks before he became president.
Code-switching goes beyond language—here's what it means and why it happens.
Quotes like “one bad apple,” “money is the root of all evil,” and “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” have been entirely misinterpreted.
Study up on this breaking terminology so you know what you’re talking about you’re watching the sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, both 'pursuit' and 'happiness' had secondary definitions that change the meaning of the iconic quote.
As brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie on ‘SCTV,’ actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas made ‘hoser’ popular—and there are plenty of theories about the word’s origin.
Chris Evert’s tennis bracelets made tennis bracelets a thing. But the origin story gets mistold quite often.
This cheeky euphemism was kicking around years before Bart ever used it on “The Simpsons,” but it prompted some significant backlash in the early ‘90s.
Sadly, ‘PU’ isn’t an initialism for “Pretty unsavory!”, “Putrid, ugh!”, or even “Please use (deodorant)!”
The classic 1970s TV commercial is one of the most famous of all time, but no one ever actually utters its most quoted line.
In the 1980s, the U.S. Navy carried out a futile search for the “real” Dorothy.
Everyone from lexicographer Samuel Johnson to Prime Minister Winston Churchill has used the phrase—but where does it come from? Why a black dog?
The Vikings had a lot of ways to call out people for being lazy.
Humans share some of their body parts’ name origins with fish, cows, and dolls.
The word dates back to the mid-19th century, and has taken many forms.
Brides or grooms with second thoughts are said to have chilly extremities. The origin of the phrase has a little something to do with poker.