Wordplay

Word History (page 2)

The Dangerous Creation of 'Limelight,' & More

Words With Remarkable Origins, Vol. 2

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

Heads up: one is 'vulgar'

April Fools' Day: We Don't Know Its Origin

But be wary on April 1 anyway.

Back to School Vocabulary

Word lookups that spike in September

Does 'handsome' only describe men?

On 'Awesome'

An extraordinary, terrific word

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

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.
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