Words

Québec slang, as heard in Montréal and elsewhere, is a remarkable 'méli-mélo' (hodgepodge) of ancient French, more recent borrowings from Arabic- and Haitian Creole-speaking communities, and English loanwords.

Yes, they’re synonyms. But there’s a little more to the semantic story of ‘recur’ vs. ’reoccur’ than that.

To Sigmund Freud, there wasn’t one. But the terms aren’t always cited as synonyms.

Having egg on your face used to have a literal meaning. Here’s how it became an idiom.

These words rarely show up in real life, but they pop up again and again in the crossword world.

Conspiracy theories are everywhere these days. Here are a few old words you can use to describe them while adjusting your tinfoil hat.

Virtually no one in the U.S. or UK had heard of the ghostly term 'poltergeist' before Catherine Crowe put pen to paper.

‘Chicken’ is such a common synonym for ‘coward’ that it probably doesn’t even seem weird. But it is.

File these away in your noggin.

You might be mispronouncing half of these, but don't worry. We can fix that.

If you're planning a trip to Pakistan, you might want to brush up on how to say it.

It's a warning put out by waitstaff and parents everywhere. But what does 'piping' have to do with it?

From açaí to vichyssoise, you may be pronouncing these food names wrong.

Memorize these if you're a mnemotechnist, but be careful not to come off as magniloquent, lest you make everyone maungy.

The Ohio State University has officially registered a trademark for one of the most common words in the English language.

"I double dog dare you to leave the lid off the trash can."

Double dog dares were around long before Flick resisted one in ‘A Christmas Story.’ But where did dogs come in?

The singular 'they' is far from a recent development.

The singular form of 'they' has been endorsed by writers like Jane Austen and William Shakespeare.

If you want to fit in with Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the monarchy, know how to act the part.

Don't be largiloquent but limited, lest you look like a classic lack-Latin.

Fernweh is the new wanderlust.

Use these at your next kaffeeklatsch at the kiddlewink.

It may have something to do with Julius Caesar, but the story isn’t that straightforward.

Bianca Del Rio performing in Pasadena, California, in 2021.

‘Paris Is Burning’ and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ have helped bring drag queen colloquialisms to the fore. Here are 11 important ones.

If we listen across the globe, we’ll hear all sorts of gasping H's and gulping K's, so much so that it almost seems like there’s a universal word for hiccup. Except there are some surprising, er, hiccups along the way.

Many euphemisms exist for a state or federal prison stay—and once inside, inmates have to adopt a whole new jargon to navigate incarcerated life.

11 Québec Slang Terms You Should Know

Recurring vs. Reoccurring: What’s the Difference, and When Should I Use Each?

Subconscious vs. Unconscious: What’s the Difference?

Why Does Having ‘Egg on Your Face’ Mean You’re Embarrassed?

10 Common Crossword Puzzle Words You Should Know

14 Secret Words for Conspiracies

Catherine Crowe, the Woman Who Brought the Word 'Poltergeist' to English

Why Are Cowards Called “Chickens”?

40 Nifty Words That Start With 'N' to Add to Your Vocabulary

10 of the World's Most Frequently Mispronounced Countries

Why Do We Say Things Are 'Piping Hot'?

20 Foods You Might Be Mispronouncing

40 Magnificent M-Words To Maximize Your Vocabulary

The Ohio State University Has Won Its Fight to Trademark the Word ‘The’

Where Does the Term ‘Double Dog Dare’ Come From?

The 600-Year History of the Singular 'They'

10 Words the British Royal Family Won’t Say

40 Linguipotent L-Words To Enlarge Your Vocabulary

Beyond Wanderlust: 30 Words Every Traveler Should Know

40 Killer K-Words To Add To Your Vocabulary

Why Is It Called a Cesarean Section?

11 Drag Slang Terms You Should Know

How 35 Languages Say the Word 'Hiccup'

19 Bits of Prison Slang to Know