Words

This man does not appear to be occupying a wagon.

'Fall off the wagon,' which is typically used to describe someone who has begun drinking alcohol after a period of abstinence, does not actually involve anyone tumbling off a horse-drawn carriage.

Your new mantra could come from any corner of the world.

Some of the best quotes about life come from regular people—this interactive map connects you with them.

If you call a buzzard a vulture in the UK, be prepared to get some strange looks. There is a difference between the two birds of prey.

Miranda is an important character in Shakespeare's The Tempest, but she's not the titular role.

The definition of ‘eponymous’ has changed over time, and ‘titular’ has more than one. Here’s how to use each word correctly.

While listening to Mental Floss's new podcast, 'The Quest for the North Pole,' learn the definitions for these common polar terms.

Why are Marines known as jarheads? The answer may have something to do with mules.

The slang term has been around for decades, but its origins might have less to do with appearance and more to do with mules.

Açaí berries are delicious. They're also hard to pronounce.

Açaí, a popular superfood, can be easy for people to mispronounce. Here's a hint: It's definitely not "ack."

A factoid isn’t just a fun fact—at least, it wasn’t when Norman Mailer allegedly coined the term in 1973.

It started centuries ago, when puddings contained spices, cereal, and potentially putrid minced meat.

They're debating whether it should be "the 'rona" or "Zoom."

It doesn’t have to be in the dictionary—in fact, it doesn’t even have to be a word. Phrases, slang, and even hashtags are all fair game.

When you ask someone for the scuttlebutt, you're using a very old nautical term to solicit potentially specious gossip.

The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda) by Luis Meléndez, circa 1772

In the 17th and 18th centuries, there were as many words for lunch as there were varieties of it. Below is a lexicon of some of these splendid words.

Lame duck presidents date back to the beginning of U.S. history, but we didn’t start calling them that until the 20th century.

She wrote "sneak peak" instead of "sneak peek."

‘Irregardless’ is technically a word, and ‘dord’ technically isn’t (though it has shown up in a few old dictionaries).

Use these words for feelings you can't express in your own language.

The intense emotions we’re all experiencing right now can often feel inexpressible, beyond words. But words in another language than your own just might be the key to giving voice to those emotions.

What do meat, dog beds, and underwear all have in common? Kirkland Signature.

Unlike other stores, Costco only has one private label—but 'Kirkland Signature' wasn’t the founder's first choice.

Before Vladimir Nabokov gained fame for ‘Lolita,’ he helped hone the writing skills of a future Supreme Court icon.

Wa wa wee wa! Sacha Baron Cohen is back in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020).

The pervasive slang term was everywhere following the 2006 release of 'Borat.' But it isn't made up.

'Bone,' 'crack,' and 'pubis' were on the list of words censored by the chat software at this year's virtual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference.