MF Explains It All

Where the ‘nog’ came from is a bit of a mystery.

The ‘egg’ part of ‘eggnog’ is obvious. The ‘nog’ is a little more mysterious—possibly involving noggins and/or grog.

George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley are coming for you this Christmas (and "Last Christmas").

“Last Christmas” is now the centerpiece of a growing holiday tradition based around ... not listening to it.

Frankincense and myrrh are a fragrant part of traditional Christmas celebrations, but what exactly are these pebble-like perfumes?

Some children love meeting Santa. Others believe they're meeting the devil himself. Why?

Even a pair of siblings might not really know the difference.

We often use ‘eldest’ and ‘oldest’ interchangeably, but the words shouldn’t be swapped out so easily. Here's how to use each.

Relaxing for some, headache-inducing for others.

Some people can drink a lot of wine without ill effect. Others are on the couch after a glass. Science might know why.

A home on Sesame Street may have been affordable when the show premiered, but that's no longer the case.

Save your nap for the cruising portion of your flight.

Library binding is the best way to keep books in circulation.

A very, very specific set of standards can keep books from falling apart. But it's usually too expensive for consumers.

Don't worry: It's not because sirens hurt dogs’ sensitive ears.

The literal meaning of ‘sic’ is ‘so’ or ‘thus.’ But the way writers use it is a little more nuanced.

Doesn't the traffic light itself already cover this?

The meaning of the “wait for green” traffic sign is less redundant than it seems.

To your dog, dragging a giant stick home makes all the sense in the world.

Americans favor 'Merry Christmas,' while Brits opt for 'Happy Christmas.' Here's how we got here.

Olive Garden makes good on its promise of unlimited breadsticks, but the deal does come with some unpublicized caveats.

Here’s something else to stress about for Thanksgiving.

Before you talk turkey this Thanksgiving, find out what we know about the phrase’s meaning and origins.

Those frilly paper caps on your turkey's legs have been called “turkey frills,” “turkey booties,” and even “turkey panties.” Here’s where they came from.

Dropping that ‘t’ sound is an example of what linguists call glottalization, or replacing a sound with a pause in the vocal cords.

Solariums are nostalgic for many customers, but Wendy's thinks they’re dated.

There’s no doubt about it—rotting food is gross.

The word ‘gross,’ which came to English from French, took on a variety of senses in English related to size. But the ‘gross of today is different from the ‘gross’ of the past thanks to teens.