Ellen Gutoskey

Joined: Jun 24, 2019

Ellen Gutoskey is a Mental Floss staff writer who especially loves covering pop culture, not-so-popular culture, literature, really tiny things, really giant things, and anything that was previously thought to be lost. She used to work in publishing, she's usually laughing, and you can follow her on Twitter @ellengutoskey.

If yours doesn't have a star or a flag, you might need to pay the DMV a visit soon.

REAL IDs: Everything You Need to Know Before the Deadline

15 of the World’s Most Beautiful Moths

Definition Detective Quiz #31

5 Fascinating Animals Named After Disney Characters

Inside ‘Inside Baseball’: How America’s Pastime Invented a Handy Metaphor

In the 19th century, 'inside baseball' only had one meaning—here's how it came to be.

Beef tallow (not the best for an apple pie).

What Exactly Is Beef Tallow?

What it is, what it's used for, and whether it lives up to the hype.

Definition Detective Quiz #30

We give you an obscure word with four definitions—one correct, three made up. Can you identify the correct one?

Queen Peuta and King Ploobis on Saturday Night Live in 1975.

The Land of Gorch: The Forgotten Muppets Sketch That Ran During SNL’s First Season

“I don’t write for felt,” writer Michael O'Donoghue said, and John Belushi often called them “mucking Fuppets.”

Five-Timers Club members Emma Stone, Paul Rudd, and Tina Fey.

All 26 Members of the ‘Saturday Night Live’ Five-Timers Club

You might already know that Tina Fey and Steve Martin are in SNL’s Five-Timers Club. But what about Drew Barrymore and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?

When Brendan Fraser Randomly Crashed Rob Lowe’s 2000 Saturday Night Live Hosting Gig

Brendan Fraser shouting "Bedazzled!" over SNL’s closing instrumental music confused everyone, including host Rob Lowe.

Kenan Thompson at the 47th Annual People's Choice Awards in 2021.

The 15 Longest-Running Cast Members in ‘Saturday Night Live’ History

How long has Kenan Thompson been on 'SNL'? Nineteen seasons—and counting.

Definition Detective Quiz #29

We give you an obscure word with four definitions—one correct, three made up. Can you identify the correct one?

Why Does ‘Boilerplate’ Mean “Standard”?

Here's a crash course on the meaning and origins of boilerplate content.

Alexander the Great (left) with his tutor, Aristotle.

5 Common Terms That Double as Logical Fallacies

The names of logical fallacies often double as common expressions—but they don't always mean the same thing.

An illustration accompanying "The Haunted Cellar," published by Thomas Crofton Croker.

Meet the Clurichaun, the Leprechaun’s Lesser-Known (But Equally Impish) Cousin

Here’s a crash course in these infamously impish creatures, from how to tell one from a leprechaun to which clurichaun stories are worth reading.

Let's put the kibosh on pronouncing 'kibosh' incorrectly.

Can You Correctly Pronounce These Tricky Words?

Test your pronunciation of toughies like 'victuals' and 'skein.'