WORDS

If You Want to Be a More Effective Writer, Stop Using Utilize and These Other 12 Words

Following this tip may be the easiest way to improve your writing.

Waffle House employees must learn some very specific lingo.

6 Bits of Waffle House Kitchen Slang

And you thought choosing whether you wanted your Waffle House hash browns smothered, covered, or chunked was complicated.

7 Common Words With Little-Known Relatives

When some words hit the big time, they left clunky related words behind.

30 Old (and Useful) Slang Names for Parts of the Body

File these away in your brainpan.

20 Words Turning 100 in 2019

From "apple-knocker" to "Xanadu."

Nomophobia Is Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year For 2018—And You Might Have It

It's something many of us have experienced.

iStock.com/MicroStockHub (speech bubble)

20 Spanish Phrases You Should Be Using

Add a little fun to your vocabulary by dropping one of these 20 long-overlooked Spanish phrases into conversation.

If You Can Correctly Pronounce Every Word in This 1920s Poem, You’re Among the English-Speaking Elite

It starts out easy and gets progressively harder.

5 Words That Are Spelled Weird Because Someone Got the Etymology Wrong

The way a word is spelled tells a part of its history. But for a few words, the spelling gets the history totally wrong.

Want to Swear Less? Here Are 5 Methods You Can Try

Here's how to stick to your New Year's Resolution.

The Story Behind "The World's Hardest" Crossword Puzzle

The creator once estimated it should take "around two years" to complete.

20 French Phrases You Should Be Using

According to some estimates, 30 percent of the English language—or roughly one in three English words—is derived directly from French.

These words are so wonderful even Santa wants to use them.

19 Long-Lost Words To Revive This Christmas

Every time Christmas rolls around it brings with it its own vocabulary of words you barely hear the rest of the year. Here are a few we should bring back.

Thoughtful Human's Line of Plantable Greeting Cards Is Here for Life's Most Delicate Scenarios

For those moments when you just don't know what to say.

Encyclopedia Britannica volumes on display at the New York Public Library

You Can View a Rare First Edition of Encyclopedia Britannica Online

The first edition featured 39 pages on horse diseases.

Photo illustration by Mental Floss. Images: iStock/chokkicx (flag), iStock.com/JakeOlimb (speech bubble with heart)

15 Adorably Wunderbar German Terms of Endearment

If you're looking for a new nickname for your sweetheart, try hasenfürzchen. (Just don't tell them it means "bunny fart" in German.)

The Origins of 12 Silly-Sounding Compound Words

The game of hopscotch has nothing to do with little kids skipping over glasses of Johnnie Walker. What is going on?

What's the Difference Between a Break and a Fracture?

The answer might surprise you.

How Do You Say the Plural Form of 'Octopus'?

Is it octopuses, octopi, or octopodes?

Oscar Mayer Sparks Outrage by Saying Hot Dogs Are Sandwiches

People are up in arms.

Jimmy Dean is Petitioning Merriam-Webster to Change the Meaning of 'Sandwich'

Does a sandwich need bread to be called a sandwich?

What Is Catgut Made From?

No kitties were harmed in the making of your tennis racket. Or violin. Or sutures.

20 Killer Words Every True Crime Buff Should Know

Brush up on some medical and legal jargon before your next true crime binge.

What Words Were First Recorded the Year You Were Born? Merriam-Webster Breaks it Down

"Meme" is older than you might think.

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