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Word History

The History of 'Cynic'

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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Lay vs. Lie

 

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

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'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?

 

We're gonna stop you right there

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'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

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Further vs. Farther

 

They started as same word, but their meanings have drifted apart over time.

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Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

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Pictures in the Dictionary

 

The story of those iconic illustrations.

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
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Blossom Pick the best words!
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The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
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Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
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