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President John F. Kennedy signs a kick ball for Thomas A. Doyle III, the 1962 Easter Seal Child. Pauline Phillips (a.k.a. Dear Abby) is at right.

Who Was the Original ’Poster Child‘?

While the exact phrase didn’t enter the language until the 1930s, using children as a means to raise funds for hospitals goes way back.

15 Retronyms for When You’re Talking Old School

A "retronym" is a term specifying the original meaning of word after a newer meaning has overtaken it.

9 Common Terms That Come From Words for Heat

From ink to calm, you might be surprised to learn how many words come back to scorching temperatures.

40 Quirky Q-Words To Add To Your Vocabulary

It might be the rarest letter at our disposal, but listed under Q in the dictionary are a clutch of fantastically bizarre words.

Monica Dickens was more prolific than her more famous ancestor—but few know her today.

Let's Talk Strine: How Charles Dickens's Great-Granddaughter (Inadvertently) Named the Australian Accent

Monica “Monty” Dickens was well-known in her lifetime and, like her great-grandfather, had a profound effect on the English language—if not quite in the way she intended.

'Fuhgeddaboudit': 12 New York City Slang Terms You Should Know

If you’ve spent time in New York City, or plan to, you might want to brush up on some of the most common slang terms you’ll find in the Big Apple.

The Origins of 12 Horse-Related Idioms

Horses own the winner’s circle in English idioms. But where did these popular phrases originate?

Tom Hardy getting a taste of his own medicine at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

A Lot of Americans Have No Idea What Tom Hardy Is Saying Most of the Time

No matter what accent Tom Hardy’s doing, it evidently sends Americans searching for the ‘enable subtitles’ option.

Why Do We Say Things Are “Dropping Like Flies”?

People have been “dropping like flies”—often due to weather—since at least the mid-19th century.

Make sure to use some bumfodder when you visit the shankie!

26 Terrific Slang Terms for Toilets and Toilet Paper

You've called it the John and the Crapper—now try out these more creative euphemisms the next time you head to the loo.

Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was into fuzz, but was not a lamestain.

'Wack Slacks': When the Media Fell for a Grunge Slang Hoax

In 1992, the mainstream media was eager to learn about the lexicon of the surging grunge scene. So a New York Times reporter phoned up an insider—who proceeded to make up a bunch of words.

40 Peculiar P-Words To Pep Up Your Vocabulary

If you're pauciloquent, then this list is worth reading. If you have pinaciphobia? You may want to be careful.

Polonius from 'Hamlet' doling out some advice.

6 Phrases and Idioms From the Renaissance

Did you realize how many idioms commonly used today have their origins in Renaissance literature and culture of the 16th and 17th centuries? These trendy turns of phrase are the best things since sliced bread—and nearly half a millennium older.

40 Opulent O-Words To Optimize Your Vocabulary

This omnium-gatherum will turn even oliogoglots into omniloquent charmers.

11 Québec Slang Terms You Should Know

Québec slang, as heard in Montréal and elsewhere, is a remarkable 'méli-mélo' (hodgepodge) of ancient French, more recent borrowings from Arabic- and Haitian Creole-speaking communities, and English loanwords.

Recurring vs. Reoccurring: What’s the Difference, and When Should I Use Each?

Yes, they’re synonyms. But there’s a little more to the semantic story of ‘recur’ vs. ’reoccur’ than that.

Why Does Having ‘Egg on Your Face’ Mean You’re Embarrassed?

Having egg on your face used to have a literal meaning. Here’s how it became an idiom.

14 Secret Words for Conspiracies

Conspiracy theories are everywhere these days. Here are a few old words you can use to describe them while adjusting your tinfoil hat.

Why Are Cowards Called “Chickens”?

‘Chicken’ is such a common synonym for ‘coward’ that it probably doesn’t even seem weird. But it is.

40 Nifty Words That Start With 'N' to Add to Your Vocabulary

File these away in your noggin.

Why Is Latin a Dead Language?

Latin may be a dead language, but it’s far from extinct.

Pastagate: How Pasta Confounded the Quebecois Language Police

Quebec has created public organizations meant to uphold particular cultural characteristics—and sometimes they might go a little too far.

20 Foods You Might Be Mispronouncing

From açaí to vichyssoise, you may be pronouncing these food names wrong.

40 Magnificent M-Words To Maximize Your Vocabulary

Memorize these if you're a mnemotechnist, but be careful not to come off as magniloquent, lest you make everyone maungy.

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