WORDS

When talking about the fundament, some terms have slipped through the crack of lexical history—so please enjoy these old and enjoyable terms for the hindquarters.

It took more than 70 years and tons of volunteer labor to create “the definitive record of the English language”—including an assist from a murderer. Get to know the Oxford English Dictionary better.

Though these words sound like fiddle-faddle, they have specific uses that go beyond yada yada and twittle-twattle.

The word ‘yo’ was around long before Rocky movies and rap songs.

Ghost words have nothing to do with otherworldly apparitions, but they’re enough to scare the headwords off lexicographers.

Nowadays, we use jones to express an intense craving for something. But it used to refer specifically to drugs.

English, the language of Shakespeare and the internet, is often touted for its flexibility and adaptability. But with great flexibility comes great inconsistenc

You can play Dr. Seuss ‘Scrabble’ here or there—you can play it anywhere!

What is an Irish goodbye—and why is it called that?

Clichés are viewed as a sign of lazy writing, but they didn’t develop that reputation over night.

Some nouns only have a plural form, regardless of how we think of them. They are known as ‘pluralia tantum,’ Latin for “plural only.”

To paraphrase Krusty the Clown, comedy isn’t dirty words—it’s words that sound dirty. Here are 50 of them.