Words

Linguists and lexicographers have truly gone the whole nine yards to uncover the origin of ‘the whole nine yards.’

It's said that everyone gets to be a bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. In that case, it's only fair that everyone has a few words of Gaelic origin ready.

Incorporate these 'A' words into your vocabulary.

Don't be agelastic or an ashcat—these words will help even a budding abecedarian advance their vocabulary.

The situation has clearly gone from bad to worse.

What's the 'worse' or 'worst' that could happen if you use the wrong form of this commonly used word? Here's what to know.

Having to yell "Fore!" probably bodes ill for your score.

It all started with forecaddies … or the military. Either way, ‘fore’ is the most succinct way to say “You might be about to get hit by an errant golf ball.”

If you know, you know. And if you don't know, this list should help.

Zoomers have revolutionized the slang game on- and offline with colorful terms like ‘stan’ and ‘She ate.’ But some are older than you think.

That wallpaper is giving us the willies.

To get the willies is to feel a sudden onset of nervousness or skittishness. But why 'willie'? It may have something to do with itchy underwear.

You’re not really wishing someone a good ‘bye.’ ‘Bye’ is just an abbreviation—and ‘good’ is sort of a mistake.

These phrases likely came from some dark places.

From poisoning to warfare, these are the dark origin stories behind eight common phrases and idioms.

If you're obsessed with Wordle, the popular online anagram game, check out these 12 fun word games, including "Scrabble," "Quiddler," and "Bananagrams."

Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight (1944).

Before psychologists gave it a formal definition, ‘gaslighting’ just meant "what happened to Ingrid Bergman in the movie ‘Gaslight.'’’

Social media has helped create a thriving slang landscape.

Maybe you know ‘GOAT,’ ‘FOMO,’ and ‘stan.’ But thanks in part to TikTok, slang is a little more complex than that these days.

Wordle is the new hotness in portable time-wasting.

The simple word game is like 'Wheel of Fortune' meets a crossword puzzle. And according to a philosophy professor, there's a clear reason we're obsessed with it.

Even a degree from an Ivy League college or university won't save you from embarrassing spelling mistakes.

If you’re so exhausted that saying “I’m tired” just doesn’t cut it, don’t worry—we have you covered.

This is actually frosting—not icing—on the cake.

There’s a reason people refer to “buttercream frosting” but don't often say “buttercream icing.”

Bychykhin_Olexandr/iStock via Getty Images

Luck is a big element of Wordle, but there are skills and strategies you can use to win the new word game sweeping the internet.

Unclear whether this is a memoir or an autobiography.

What’s an autobiography? The story of someone’s life as told by them—which isn’t exactly the same thing as a memoir.

This kid might be slaying the hill, but he's not sleighing it.

You might call anything you use to shoot down a snow-covered hill a sled, but there are some things that separate the two. Like reindeer.

Mispronunciations can strike at anytime.

It's been a rough year for buzz words: Nothing is more cheugy than not being able to properly pronounce 'cheugy.'

The names ‘18-wheeler,’ ‘big rig,’ and ‘tractor-trailer’ aptly convey the size and scope of the vehicle. ‘Semi’ seems a little misleading. What gives?