Criminals have been referring to police as pigs since at least 1811. But just as they came up with many creative names for the people who ratted them out, crooks also called cops and private detectives by many other, more creative names. Here are a few of them from Eric Partridge’s Dictionary of the Underworld. ... READ ON
We’ve used the term “rat” to refer to an informer since approximately 1910. But criminals have many more names for snitches.... READ ON
Now the names for these creatures big and small make total sense.... READ ON
"Grammar is hard!" the Pop Chart Lab creative team said they learned from the process of putting together their latest poster, which applies the Reed-Kellogg model of diagramming to the opening sentences of 25 famous novels.... READ ON
The Oxford English Dictionary is honoring the centenary with an appeal to the public for help in finding the earliest documented uses of words that first came into English during World War I. ... READ ON
In this week's episode, John Green looks at the origins of 40 words such as "noon," "denim," and "mortgage."... READ ON
Want to make conversations more fun? Consider the former meanings of these words.... READ ON
It's very cold, and we're running out of ways to say that. So we reached out to the editors of the Dictionary of American Regional English for suggestions.... READ ON
We all come into contact with many of these shapes every day. Here's what you can call them.... READ ON
Explore Westeros
5 Questions: "Ash" at the Beginning
The Signature Sneaker Quiz
The USDA allows the term "wyngz" for wing-like chicken products that contain no wing meat.
