Words

Robert Berger tried to avoid a jail sentence by forging a death certificate. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the Office of Vital Statistics and Regsitry.

There's no law requiring you to spend every other holiday with your in-laws.

It all started as a reminder about which relatives the Catholic Church prohibited you from marrying.

Joanne K. Watson/Merriam-Webster via Getty Images

After sending Merriam-Webster a series of emails, Kennedy Mitchum convinced the dictionary to revise its entry for 'racism' to better emphasize the systemic aspects.

This woman systematically drinks orange juice while her creative juices are flowing.

Something systemic—like a disease—means it’s present throughout a system. ‘Systematic’ refers to how a system is operated.

Graves in potter's fields are sometimes marked with blank headstones or crosses.

After a remorseful Judas returned his payment for betraying Jesus, the high priests used it to buy the very first potter’s field.

3 p.m. is basically noon for people who wake up at 12 p.m.

We don’t know exactly when or why noon began to refer to 12 p.m., but it could have something to do with hungry monks.

There’s a reason that Meghan Markle’s first time sporting a tiara (borrowed from Queen Elizabeth II) was on her wedding day.

The phrase 'green thumb' has an interesting history.

If our hands turn into a mess of smeared dirt when gardening, how come we have green thumbs? Why not green fingers?

General Winfield Scott, the original great Scott (probably).

"Great Scott!" was around long before it became the go-to expression of Doc Brown in ‘Back to the Future.’

So, you’d like to write for Mental Floss? We've assembled a handful of helpful tips to help you craft the best pitch possible.

New words and phrases are popping up to help us describe living in the time of COVID-19.

If you’re struggling to describe the new coronavirus era we’re living in, well, you’re not alone. In fact, many new terms have been coined to help us talk about these unprecedented times.

Steve Jobs reveals the iPhone 4 at a conference in 2010.

If you assumed the now-ubiquitous lowercase ‘i’ meant ‘internet,’ you’re not wrong—but that’s only part of it.

She may decide to use might in her essay.

'May' and 'might' are two modal verbs that are often used interchangeably, but there are grammar rules governing which one is technically correct.

Rotavirus—from the Latin rota, for "wheel"—is named for the wheel-like appearance of its particles.

‘Coronavirus’ is named for how it looks under a microscope, but that’s not the only way to name a virus or disease.

Hotels often offer a complimentary pastry and fruit breakfast.

Hotels offer pastries, fruit, and coffee as a guest perk. But what makes it a 'continental' breakfast?

The story of March Madness has everything: Chaucer, sex-crazed hares, Alice in Wonderland, lawsuits, and a basketball coach-turned-poet from Illinois.

The head of the society signed off for good, declaring that “The ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won!”

Sadly, ALDI doesn't stand for “Awesome Lunch and Dinner Items” or “Always Loving Discounts, Inc.”

The first ALDI locations bore a different name, but the owners had changed it by the time they had brought their grocery stores to the U.S.

Height isn't the only difference between horses and ponies.

Knowing your equines is no mere horseplay. Here's how to tell the difference between horses, ponies, and even miniature horses.

Virginians may soon be able to legally swear in public.

The state has prohibited public expletives since 1792, with offenders facing a $250 fine. That's about to change.

If scientists can't develop a vaccine for a new virus quickly enough, an epidemic can turn into a pandemic.

Definitions of 'pandemic' and 'epidemic' differ, but it’s not always clear which one best describes a disease outbreak like the new coronavirus.

It's a question that Americans have been arguing about for decades: How exactly do you pronounce Nevada?

V is the only letter in the English language that makes itself heard no matter which words it appears in.

IKEA, the beloved Swedish home furnishings chain, has a coherent naming strategy that its non-swedophone customers are missing out on.

Grave Error: A Man Attempting to Fake His Own Death Was Caught Because of a Typo

Why Do We Call Our Spouse's Relatives 'In-Laws'?

Merriam-Webster Is Updating Its Definition of Racism to Emphasize Systemic Prejudice

Systemic vs. Systematic: How to Use Each Word Correctly

Why Are Common Graves Called Potter’s Fields?

Why Did Noon Used to Mean 3 p.m.?

What’s the Difference Between a Tiara and a Crown?

Why Are Gardeners Said to Have a ‘Green Thumb’?

Who’s the 'Scott' in Great Scott?

How to Pitch a Story to Mental Floss

11 New Words and Phrases Inspired by the Coronavirus

What Does the i in iPhone Stand For?

May vs. Might: When to Use Each Word

How Coronavirus and 31 Other Infectious Diseases and Viruses Got Their Names

What Makes a Hotel Breakfast 'Continental'?

Why Do We Call the NCAA Basketball Tournament 'March Madness'?

What the Death of the Apostrophe Protection Society Means for Grammarians

What Does ALDI Stand For, Anyway?

What's the Difference Between Horses and Ponies?

Virginians Haven't Been Able to Legally Swear Since 1792 But That's About to Change

Pandemic vs. Epidemic: What’s the Difference?

You’re Probably Pronouncing Nevada All Wrong

The One Letter in the Alphabet That Can't Be Silent

How IKEA Comes Up With Its Product Names