Words

Princeton University's ivy-covered Nassau Hall, which dates back to 1756.

Here’s the story of how the Ivy League got its name—and a list of all the schools that belong to it (including the informal “Ivy Plus” schools).

Patient portals unfortunately aren't yet of the teleportal variety.

Here’s everything you ever wondered about ‘stat’: its meaning, its origins, and whether ER doctors really shout it all the time.

American slang terms can vary from state to state—these in particular are known to cause confusion.

It’s not one you’re likely to use in everyday conversation—but you will find it in an dictionary.

Spoiler alert: Despite what you might have heard, it’s not ‘antidisestablishmentarianism.’

Spoilers for this article without context.

This list of linguistics terms will teach you how to tell your spoonerisms from your mondegreens.

We can thank Shakespeare for popularizing it, sort of.

Contrary to popular belief, Shakespeare wasn’t the one who invented this common idiom. But trying to unravel its origins will land you in a bit of a tricky situation.

Some food names are less than forthcoming about what they really are. (We’re looking at you, Grape-Nuts.)

If you think 'Wi-Fi' stands for 'wireless fidelity,' you should read this.

We don’t know a lot about where the phrase came from.

The phrase has evolved somewhat since its first uses—and its origin is something of a mystery.

George Washington went by a code name during the Revolutionary War. (And technically, he should be saying, “Hello, my 411 is 711”—411 was the code for “name.”)

Asking a police officer “do you drink?” in the 1970s had nothing to do with grabbing a beer at a nearby bar.

A pixelated version of an illustration by Édouard-Henri Avril from the 1824 book ‘De figuris Veneris.’

The origins of the phrase 'missionary position' involve Alfred Kinsey, some shoddy research, and zero actual missionaries.

‘Don’t Fire Until Your See the Whites of Their Eyes’ may (or may not) have been uttered at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Legend has it that a heroic American commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill implored his men to hold their fire until their enemies were under their noses. But did the event actually happen?

Before the word was used to describe hit movies, ‘blockbusters’ was a nickname for a highly destructive bomb.

Learn a fun fact about each of the most popular languages in the world.

We have many games to while away long days, but where do words like 'poker' and 'hopscotch' come from? Here are the etymological origins of 11 popular games.

What do you think these Anglo-Saxon warriors are talking about?

Old English had a rich array of inventive and intriguing words, many of which have either long since dropped out of use or were replaced.

Norwegian moviegoers had no idea what they were in for with 'Airplane!' (1980).

If you wanted to market a comedy in Norway in the 1970s and 1980s, you needed the Hjelp formula.

‘Coger’ and the other terms on this list mean something very different in Spain than they do in other hispanophone countries.

The names were put into one of six different categories: ancestral, occupational, geographical, toponymic (or place name), personal characteristics, and patronage.

‘Burnt’ and ‘burned’ are both acceptable, but they serve different purposes (at least, they do in American English).

The close quarters of those serving together in war is a perfect Petri dish for slang. From ‘FUBAR’ to ‘fobbit,’ here are some military slang terms you should know (plus, why the military uses so many acronyms, anyway).

Ah, the classic initialism for the classic phrase 'Pardon me, you must have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn.'

The FBI’s 2014 list of internet acronyms and shorthand will have you LWP (laughing with passion).

The origins of these animals’ names may surprise you.

‘Hippopotamus’ is Latin for “river-horse,” which makes sense for these semiaquatic mammals. The origins of some other animal names aren’t quite as literal.

It’s hardly the most complimentary turn of phrase, but rug rat has been a slang term for children for more than half a century.

Why Is It Called the “Ivy League”?

Why Does ‘Stat’ Mean “Immediately”?

America’s 10 Most Commonly Misunderstood Slang Terms

What’s the Longest Word in English?

15 Fascinating Linguistics Terms You Didn’t Learn in School

Why Do We Say ‘In a Pickle’?

‘Bac’n’: 16 Foods With Misleading Names

What Does ‘Wi-Fi’ Stand For? It’s Complicated

What Does the Phrase ‘Keep It Under Your Hat’ Mean?

12 Historical Code Words and Phrases

The Research Error That Gave Us the Phrase ‘Missionary Position’

‘Don’t Fire Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes’: The Obscure Origin of the Military Command

Why Do We Call Hit Movies ‘Blockbusters’?

The 20 Most Spoken Languages in the World

11 Game Names and Their Fun-Filled Origins

20 Brilliant Anglo-Saxon Words We Should Bring Back

Help! The Bizarre Way Norway Translated Foreign Movie Titles

Castilian vs. Latin American Spanish: 12 Words You Don’t Want to Confuse

The Most Common Last Name in Every Country, Mapped

‘Burned’ vs. ‘Burnt’: What’s the Difference?

Military Slang Terms: 11 Examples, Explained

100 WTF Terms From the FBI’s 2014 Internet Slang Dictionary

How 20 Animals Got Their Names

Why Do We Call Kids “Rug Rats”?