Why Is It Called the “Ivy League”?
Here’s the story of how the Ivy League got its name—and a list of all the schools that belong to it (including the informal “Ivy Plus” schools).
Here’s the story of how the Ivy League got its name—and a list of all the schools that belong to it (including the informal “Ivy Plus” schools).
Here’s everything you ever wondered about ‘stat’: its meaning, its origins, and whether ER doctors really shout it all the time.
American slang terms can vary from state to state—these in particular are known to cause confusion.
Spoiler alert: Despite what you might have heard, it’s not ‘antidisestablishmentarianism.’
This list of linguistics terms will teach you how to tell your spoonerisms from your mondegreens.
Contrary to popular belief, Shakespeare wasn’t the one who invented this common idiom. But trying to unravel its origins will land you in a bit of a tricky situation.
Some food names are less than forthcoming about what they really are. (We’re looking at you, Grape-Nuts.)
If you think 'Wi-Fi' stands for 'wireless fidelity,' you should read this.
The phrase has evolved somewhat since its first uses—and its origin is something of a mystery.
Asking a police officer “do you drink?” in the 1970s had nothing to do with grabbing a beer at a nearby bar.
The origins of the phrase 'missionary position' involve Alfred Kinsey, some shoddy research, and zero actual missionaries.
Legend has it that a heroic American commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill implored his men to hold their fire until their enemies were under their noses. But did the event actually happen?
Before the word was used to describe hit movies, ‘blockbusters’ was a nickname for a highly destructive bomb.
Learn a fun fact about each of the most popular languages in the world.
We have many games to while away long days, but where do words like 'poker' and 'hopscotch' come from? Here are the etymological origins of 11 popular games.
Now’s your chance to create your own NYT crossword puzzle.
Old English had a rich array of inventive and intriguing words, many of which have either long since dropped out of use or were replaced.
If you wanted to market a comedy in Norway in the 1970s and 1980s, you needed the Hjelp formula.
‘Coger’ and the other terms on this list mean something very different in Spain than they do in other hispanophone countries.
The names were put into one of six different categories: ancestral, occupational, geographical, toponymic (or place name), personal characteristics, and patronage.
‘Burnt’ and ‘burned’ are both acceptable, but they serve different purposes (at least, they do in American English).
The close quarters of those serving together in war is a perfect Petri dish for slang. From ‘FUBAR’ to ‘fobbit,’ here are some military slang terms you should know (plus, why the military uses so many acronyms, anyway).
The FBI’s 2014 list of internet acronyms and shorthand will have you LWP (laughing with passion).
‘Hippopotamus’ is Latin for “river-horse,” which makes sense for these semiaquatic mammals. The origins of some other animal names aren’t quite as literal.