Words

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.