Words

8 Symbols That We Turned Into Words

The symbols we use also have names: dollar sign, treble clef, asterisk, etc. But sometimes the name for a symbol takes on a different sort of meaning.... READ ON

Words

11 Spam Comments That Look Like Drunk Thesauruses (And Why)

Nothing is certain but death, taxes, and spam comments on your blog. One way to avoid repeating the same comment over and over without having to write thousands of different original comments is to replace the words in one comment with various synonyms. ... READ ON

Words

7 Words Brought to You by British Colonialism

Words we use every day in modern English owe their inclusion in dictionaries to a British army officer picking up a few slang words from the cotton traders in Bangalore, street food vendors in the Caribbean, or the Boer warriors two fought against Britons just over 100 years ago. ... READ ON

Big Question

How Did Caesarean Sections Get Their Name?

Reader Alistair wrote in wondering about the supposed origins of C-Sections: “Was Julius Caesar really born this way and is it the origin of the medical procedure?”... READ ON

List

The Pig Latins of 11 Other Languages

Rules of language games in other languages may also vary, but here are some general guidelines for fun in 11 different languages.... READ ON

List

10 Mnemonic Tricks for Never Forgetting Anything Again

Your guide to never forgetting anything again.... READ ON

Big Question

Where Do the Words “Mom” and “Dad” Come From?

Reader Jack writes in to say, “I can’t for the life of me figure out where the term ‘Dad’ or its similar cousins like ‘Daddy’ or ‘Dada’ come from. What’s the deal with “dad” and why has it become so prevalent in our society?”... READ ON

Words

9 Extremely Pretentious Latin and Greek Plurals

Here are some uncommon but etymologically sound plurals that you may employ for petty pedantry at your own risk. You are better off using them in the fun way, though they are most likely to be received as confusing.... READ ON