Wordplay

Word History (page 2)

Why do we call it a 'pipe dream'?

Hint: 19th century drug use

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Why do we say 'get out of Dodge'?

It refers to a real place

Why do we say 'make a beeline'?

Yes, it does involve bees

How long is a jiffy?

It depends who you ask

When do we paint the town red?

It may have begun with a literal paint job (but probably didn’t)

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?

And should we beware?

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Did they ever sell fleas?

The Origin of O'clock

The apostrophe that ate a whole word

The Origins of Daredevil

Hint: they've been around for a while

Why is the letter ‘Z’ associated with sleeping?

A cartoon origin story

Is “GIF” pronounced “jiff” or “giff”?

Why not both?

What does 'Wi-Fi' really mean?

It’s probably not what you think

What Does 'QR Code' Stand For?

Not all abbreviations are as complex as they seem.

Skibidi, Mog & More: Gen Alpha Slang

Skibidi! Mog!! Rizz!!!

Words That Turned 100 in 2025

Happy Birthday to our Centenarians

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

Heads up: one is 'vulgar'

12 Words Whose History Will Surprise You

They all use this one weird trick (etymology)

What does 'at large' mean?

A holdover of an ancient meaning

Much Ado about ‘Folie à deux’

From French psychiatry to the silver screen

Back to School Vocabulary

Words that increase in lookups when students return to school

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different

Including the secret history of 'secretary'

7 Run-Down Words That Have Seen Better Days

They've taken a hit but are still standing.

‘Fascism’: The Word’s Meaning and History

Why did Yankee Doodle call a feather 'macaroni'?

What's with his feathered cap?

What's so 'civil' about 'civil war'?

A note on extended meanings

Does 'incredible' mean 'not credible'?

It did, once.

'Pathetic': A History

An in-depth chronicle of inadequacy

Words Inspired by Dogs

These are a wordsmith's best friend

Compound Words That Used to Make a Lot More Sense

How 'jack' met 'pot.' How 'wed' met 'lock.'

7 Good Stories That Just Aren't True

No, that's not where that word comes from

Why do we say 'wear your heart on your sleeve'?

The answer may come from medieval jousts

Where does the word 'trivia' come from?

You may be quizzed on this later

The History Behind 8 Halloween Words

These words haunt us

'Handsome,' 'Geek,' and 8 More Words That Changed Their Meanings

Language evolves

Where does 'hello' come from?

Don't answer the phone with 'ahoy'

10 'Rude' Words From Old Etiquette Guides

Rule 1, never say 'thanks'

The Secret Histories of 'Catastrophe,' 'Debacle,' and More

'Tragedy' didn't always mean "disaster"

10 Unpleasant People Whose Names Became Words

Not all publicity is good

Surprising Words from the 1920s

Robots, "Atom Bombs," and "Rocket Ships" Were All Born in the Jazz Age

What Does "Jiggery-Pokery" Mean?

Antonin Scalia's Unapologetic Use of Rhyming Reduplication

10 Words You Don’t Seem to Hear as Much These Days

As chosen by you, the social media scroller!

How a Word For "Blood" Came to Mean "Optimistic"

The Odd History of "Sanguine"

Why do we quit 'cold turkey'?

Explaining A Common Phrase That Makes No Sense

Older Than They Look: 'Hipster,' 'Ghosting,' and More

They may sound new, but words like 'hipster', 'rap', and 'ginormous' have a surprisingly long history.

10 Words That Come from 'Mother'

'Metropolis', 'matrix', and more

10 Words from Place Names

Bikini, bourbon, and badminton were places first

13 New Words for Old Things

When did 'mail' become 'snail mail'?

Why do we say 'willy-nilly'?

It wasn't always about carelessness

Was 'nervous Nellie' a real person?

Sort of!

Where does the word 'mayday' come from?

Mayday, May Day!

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

"I bow to you"

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

But be wary on April 1 anyway.

Does 'handsome' only describe men?

On 'Awesome'

An extraordinary, terrific word

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

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.

'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

'Cliché': We’ve Heard It All Before

A word for something you want to avoid
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