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Ever wonder where slang terms like snafu, valley girl, and dumpster fire came from?

’Tis the season to learn how to say “Merry Christmas” in many languages.
Sophie Lau|
Defining terms highlighted by the Oxford English Dictionary and why they’re significant this year.
Jenny Cohen|
Think about it: have you ever heard someone say they had “extenuating errands”? These eight words are only used in a very specific context.
Sam Hindman|
Think twice before responding if someone calls you one of these words.
Sam Hindman|
Go with ‘goozlum’ instead of ‘gravy’ this Thanksgiving.
Angela Tung|
The history behind “no worries” and why the phrase became a favorite for millennials and Gen Z.
Chelsea Thatcher|
No, “gaudy” did not come from a famous architect with a similar-sounding name.
Mary Beth Skylis|
You might’ve heard it from your children or as Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year.
Tim Brinkhof|
You wouldn’t think twice about these everyday habits and activities, but they weren’t always the norm.
Paul Anthony Jones|
Though widely shared on the internet and other places, these popular quotes weren’t actually spoken by who you might think they were.
Paul Anthony Jones|
Americans were interested in finding out definitions for words in political science, psychology, and science, among other topics.
Sam Hindman|
This admittedly is probably not the No. 1 question on your mind—but we answer it anyways.
Paul Anthony Jones|
You know "LOL" and "FML," but what about other social media and text abbreviations? Here are the 10 that stump people the most.
Alexandria Ingham|
No one did it like The Bard, so it’s no surprise that some myths about him and his writing have seeped into our culture over time. Let’s debunk some of the biggest ones.
Meredith Danko|
The words these authors have come up with to create their worlds have transcended fiction.
Lorna Wallace|
The phrase has a surprisingly long, convoluted history.
Paul Anthony Jones|
It's time to level with you on why we refer to floors as narrative spaces.
Jake Rossen|
The phrase may seem recent, but it’s been around for a surprisingly long time.
Paul Anthony Jones|
With no word for ‘please,’ how do you keep it civil when traveling in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland?
Jessica Furseth|
Jefferson’s tale of an encounter with a stranger sparked a saying that became pretty popular in the 19th century.
Paul Anthony Jones|

More From the Language Section

Looking back at when the phrase was coined and why social media users are now finding comfort in it.
Sam Hindman|
The stories might sound interesting, but they’re not all necessarily the truth. Here are five misconceptions about how popular phrases were invented.
Ryan Menezes|
Americans favor 'Merry Christmas,' while Brits opt for 'Happy Christmas.' Here's how we got here.
Ellen Gutoskey|
You might not second-guess these common phrases, but they come from surprising origins.
Cat DiStasio|
The origins of the phrase (indirectly) involve smelly cabbage, Donald Duck, and several Canadian journalists.
Ellen Gutoskey|
Start sprinkling bumfuzzle, taradiddle, and collywobbles into everyday conversation—but maybe let quomodocunquizing rest in obsolescent peace where it belongs.
Cat DiStasio|
The answer involves World War I soldiers and a cute bird.
CaLea Johnson|
We might have co-living spaces to thank for this strange idiom.
Paul Anthony Jones|
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