Words

Languages around the world have their own strange idioms.

Idioms like Mandarin’s ‘take your pants off to fart’ make no sense to English speakers—at least, not English speaker who haven’t read this list.

From ‘kibosh’ to ‘niche,’ these words can trip up even the most meticulous English speakers.

A grain of salt a day keeps the misinformation away.

‘Take it with a grain of salt’ all (probably) started with Pliny the Elder, but he was talking about literal poison.

Discover how the different generation names for Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials came to be.

You can skip a couple vowels here ... but which ones?

Here are 20 of the world's trickiest names, from ‘Sean’ to ‘Saoirse.’ (No, they’re not all Irish.)

Our 2025 word-a-day calendar covers old-timey slang terms, fascinating phrase origins, and more.

The abbreviations are widely understood as “morning” and “afternoon,” but what do the Latin translations actually mean?

‘Dumpster fire’ is just one slang term to come out of the 2000s.

In the 2000s, the internet took over, as did social media, streaming, and cell phones that were also cameras and tiny computers. The slang of this era didn’t disappoint, either: From amazeballs to mukbang and beyond, here are some terms you might not have

The origins are often more complicated (and fun) than you’d expect.

Just call it "giggle smoke." Or "Nixon."

From 'giggle smoke' to 'Nixon,' these marijuana nicknames deserve a resurgence.

On a cruise ship, the name ‘Oscar’ has a very serious meaning.

Whether they’re said over a PA or in a one-on-one conversation, these seemingly innocuous terms are actually codes to alert those in the know that something is up while keeping others in the dark.

Cowboys in the Old West had all kinds of colorful terms for everyday items, from eggs (‘cackleberries’) to oysters (‘saltwater vegetables’) and beyond.

Illustration of William Shakespeare Reciting Hamlet to His Family

A fascinating new discovery has emerged about a pamphlet found in the rafters of William Shakespeare’s childhood home.

The origins of 'with great power comes great responsibility' and the story of how it became a canon event for Spider-Man.

In the South, all sodas are called “Coke,” no matter what their actual name is.

Here’s a rundown of some Southern slang terms that might be beneficial to keep in mind the next time you’re visiting.

Identify whether you're feeling angst, ennui, or weltschmerz with this handy guide.

English never hesitates to borrow words that would lose certain subtleties in translation, and angst, ennui, and weltschmerz have made their way into English by offering a little something extra.

‘Ghosting’ is a very Millennial slang term.

From adulting to doggo, you can thank Millennials for popularizing these slang terms.

Everybunny wants to know why we call rabbits “bunnies.”

When it comes to abbreviations for animal names, doggy for dog makes sense, as does kitty for cat, when you think about it: Kitty comes from the word kitten. But where does bunny for rabbit come from?