Wordplay

 For the love of language

A Guide to British Noble Titles

Know your Duchess from your Baroness

Where does 'curiosity killed the cat' come from?

No cats were harmed in the making of this idiom

Strange Words for Body Functions

Did you know that you 'micturate' and 'sternutate'?

Popular

The Longest Long Words List

21 words with 21 letters or more

9 Other Words for Beautiful

Here are some additional words for calling something lovely

The Words of the Week - May 1

Lookups from a royal visit, restaurant lingo, and fishy research

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

And why isn't it 'bury the lead'?

10 Words for Food with Unfortunate-Sounding Names

All of them may be delicious, but one is offal

12 Words and Phrases for Romantic Relationships

This list warms the cockles of our hearts

The History of 'Bull' and 'Bear' Markets

Which came first?

Word Choices

Gabrielle Zevin

Novelist

Emily Flake

New Yorker Cartoonist

Celeste Ng

Novelist

Eli Cymet

Video Game Writer/Producer, Cuphead

Emma Straub

Novelist and Children’s Book Author

Arts & Culture

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Where does the expression 'throw someone under the bus' come from?

Let's blame the British

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

We know you're going to look these up

Where does the phrase 'barn burner' come from?

This one's pretty exciting

Top Banana, Kingpin, and Other Nicknames for Important People

Big wigs, big enchiladas, and big shots

The Left Hand of (Supposed) Darkness

It depends on what side you're coming from.
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Obscure & Fun

Obscure & Fun

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 1

Some may be more useful than others.

Foreign

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All About Latin Plurals

Check your dictionary

17 English Words That Come From Japanese

Some borrowed words don't get returned

Alcohol & Algebra: Common Words from Arabic

Number 4 might scare you

Schadenfreude and Other German Words Without Translation

Accept no substitutes

10 English Words from Dutch

Learn how to tell your caboodle from your caboose
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Games & Hobbies

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Why Is the Sport Called ‘Pickleball’?

The origin story is clearer than most sports

A Player's Guide to 'Q' without 'U' Words

Remember this and win.

These Are Fighting Words

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

Winning Scrabble Words for Everyday People

You don't have to be a pro to play these words.

Know Your Baseball Idioms

'Southpaw,' 'can of corn,' and other phrases
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Insults

Insults

Not Nice and Too Nice: A Collection of Dysphemisms and Euphemisms

Words to soothe and annoy

Science & Nature

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12 Pairs of Commonly Confused Animal Words

The animal words went in two by two, hurrah, hurrah!

A Journey to the Moon in 12 Words

Read this before attempting a moon shot

7 Common Idioms That Come from Chickens

Don't ask us which came first

12 Bird Names that Sound Like Compliments

From the godwits at your favorite dictionary

Amber, Auburn, Crimson and Other Colorful Words for Autumn Foliage

Peep these leaves.
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Word History

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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?
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