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Est. 1828
Wordplay
Word History (page 2)
Does 'handsome' only describe men?
On 'Awesome'
An extraordinary, terrific word
April Fools' Day: We Don't Know Its Origin
But be wary on April 1 anyway.
9 Christmas Words with Surprising Histories
There's no bread in 'gingerbread'
A Few Words on 'Toast'
A word with surprisingly literal origins
Why is there no 'n' in 'restaurateur'?
Making a meal out of it
6 Words Whose Abstract Meanings Came First
From conceptual to concrete
How 'Way' Became a Word for 'Road'
Life is a highway
You Don't Know 'Jack'
But we do
The History of 'Bodice'
For our romance readers
'Invest': Dress for Success
Button up that vest
'Infrastructure': A New Word from Old Roots
A solid word that's also flexible
The Piratical History of 'Filibuster'
It won't take long to read
An Illuminating History of 'Lite'
Shedding some light on it
'Speculate': Looking for a Profit
From seeing to imagining
Getting Up to Speed on (the History of) 'Speed'
"Godspeed," dear readers.
Why We Keep Things 'Platonic'
From ideals to friendships
A Reading Break on 'Laurel'
Rest on them, but not for too long
Where We Get 'Chanteys' (and 'Shanties')
Way hay and up she rises.
Taking a Walk with 'Pedestrian'
Nothing dull about a good stroll, right?
Words From 1921: 100 Years Old and Still Around
From goons to abominable snowmen
'Talented': That Vile and Barbarous Vocable
It was once a hotly contested adjective
'Tally' and 'Tabulate': It All Adds Up
However you count it
What is a 'Pyrrhic victory'?
It'll cost you nothing to read.
A Brief History of the 'Task Force'
Our objective is clear.
Talking Turkey On 'Gobble'
And how the bird got its nickname
'Avoid Like the Plague': A History
Heading straight toward its origins
The Story Behind 'First Lady'
Always second to none.
'Internecine': A History
A mistake that stuck
The History of 'Ballot'
Where your vote comes from
'Cordial': A Word Straight from the Heart
Whereas 'coronary' is not so much
‘Fascism’: The Word’s Meaning and History
And no, that meme about us isn’t true
A Brief on 'Squadron' and 'Squad'
By land, sea, or air
Keeping Watch on 'Surveil'
Keeping tabs on a back-formation.
Read This 'Posthaste'
For when you need it there quickly
A Briefing on the 'College' in 'Electoral College'
Why 'college' anyway?
Powering Up the History of 'Blackout'
It's electric
The Versatility of ‘Tele-’
The combining form we need now more than ever.
The Questionable Origin of 'Quiz'
A tall tale and a word history
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble: On ‘Kettling’
A police tactic that puts some in hot water.
'Precedented' and 'Unprecedented' Times
Are there "precedented" times?
A Trick for Dealing with Summer Heat: Estivate
It’s like hibernating, but warmer.
'Pigeonhole': A History
Do pigeons ever live in them?
'Temperament' and 'Temperature': Former Synonyms
Latin brought them together
‘Pushing the Envelope’: Don’t Mail It In
The outer limits of an idiom.
'Dord': A Ghost Word
It once haunted our books.
'Party': A Word for One or Many
A party can be any size.
A Short History of 'Curfew'
Sounding the bell for etymology
The Sinister Origins of 'Fascinate'
It'll hold you spellbound.
On the History of 'cc' and 'bcc'
We're copying you on this.
What is a ‘bleeding heart’?
From the blood sport of politics.
Burrowing into 'Groundhog Day'
And a bit into 'Candlemas'
How 'Mean' Became Nasty
It was a perfectly nice word for centuries
An Analysis of 'Dream'
We interpret its history.
The (Not Always) Cheery History of 'Cheer'
To your health
Is 'Positively' Positively Legal?
When there's 'positively' none of something
The True Story of 'Realize' and 'Realise'
Two spellings, an ocean apart
'Piano': Its Name Is Only Half the Story
The soft and loud of it
'Cliché': We’ve Heard It All Before
A word for something you want to avoid
Casting Light on 'Angel'
A word for a messenger (hopefully bringing good news)
'Trick or Treat': A History
Candy, costumes, and divine mischief
The Mythical Origins of 'Terminator'
How an ancient stone's name lives on
The Disputed Origins of the 'Egg Cream'
A deliciously mysterious history
At the Root of ‘Cubicle’
On the shape of office politics
Registering the Politics of 'Register'
We hope it registers with you.
What's so 'civil' about 'civil war'?
A note on extended meanings
Scratching the Surface of ‘From Scratch’
Out of nothing comes something.
'Cotemporary': The Archaic 'Contemporary'
Spelling variants are fossils of language
Is the Word 'Freshman' Going Out of Style?
On the rise of first-year alternatives
Where Does 'Run-of-the-Mill' Come From?
A top-of-the-line history
Following 'Suit' from the Court to the Closet
A tale of court, clothing, and cards
Mapping Out the Naming of 'America'
Columbus had nothing to do with it
On the History of the 'Rolling Stone'
It's kept free of moss for centuries
'Inflame': Fired with Anger
Why doesn't it mean "to set on fire"?
The Roots of 'Radical'
Getting down to what's under the surface
'Vacation': A History
Sit back and enjoy some reading.
Clocking a Newer Sense of ‘Clock’
It’s not always a matter of time.
The Abundant History of 'Bumper Crop'
On the many meanings of 'bumper'
Uncovering the "Hidden" Senses of 'Cover'
Covering up a scandal? Bad. The bill? Good.
Does 'incredible' mean 'not credible'?
It did, once.
Who Put the ‘B’ at the End of ‘Superb'?
Going above and beyond
Spelling Out the Pronunciation of 10 U.S. State Names
Your history teacher might not have mentioned.
The High-Flying History of 'Acrobat'
A daring feat of etymology
The Wayward Cousins of 'Irregardless'
Do you find these words ir-ritating?
Words with Lost Meanings
Some words just don't mean what they used to...
Dropping Some Truth on 'Windfall'
When fortune lands right at your feet.
The Physical History of 'Stereotype'
From the printing house to everyone's house
Where Does the Word 'Mayday' Come From?
Mayday, May Day!
Getting Too Close to 'Radioactive'
Its meaning has broadened but not decayed
How the ‘A’ Fell Out of ‘Coconut’
It wasn't from shaking the tree.
'Meticulous': Fear and Trepidation No Longer Required
A painstaking history
'Umbrella': A History
There's lots of shade in this one
A Twist on ‘Turquoise’
History just a stone’s throw away
The Characteristics of 'Character'
It has a long and complex backstory
Spreading the Word on 'Leak'
You didn't hear it from us
Playing the 'Wild Card'
It can be anything.
Why is 'Celtic' pronounced two ways?
\SELT\ is the older one
6 Words Derived from Place Names
When the name on the map gets its own meaning
'Pathetic': A History
An in-depth chronicle of inadequacy
Poring Over Stories of the 'Growler'
And who's doing the growling?
Your Grandparents' Dirty Dancing
A history of banned dance crazes
Uncovering 'Snug as a Bug In a Rug'
The sea, hobgoblins, and blankets
The Illuminating History of 'Gaffer'
It relates to godfathers.
'Desire' and 'Consider': A History
It's not all starry-eyed.
Rhapsodizing About ‘Bohemian’
Is it real life, or just fantasy?
The Back and Forth of 'Litany'
You probably learned it in church.
A Calm, Collected History of 'Uproar'
Settle down, everybody
'Volatile': Stable Meanings for a Flighty Word
It originally meant "having wings"
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