Latest articles by Angela Tung
7 history-rich insights into train terminology
feature Why is it called a "caboose," anyway?
-
A brief history of Solitaire, Patience, and other card games for one
feature Alone needn't mean lonely
feature -
Them's bullfighting words
feature Understanding the extraordinary language of Spain's controversial pastime
feature -
Wocka wocka! Deconstructing the fascinating lingo of the Muppets.
feature You know your Muppets, but do you know a Henson stitch from a Magic Triangle?
feature -
6 crazy medical beliefs from days of yore
feature Got hiccups? Blame elves.
feature -
10 of the world's most bizarre taxes
feature Think the income tax is rough? At least Uncle Sam isn't demanding that you pay for the privilege of having a beard
feature -
The week in words
feature How we talk about terrorists, how tenses are used in jokes, and more
feature -
10 whimsical words coined by Lewis Carroll
feature The acclaimed author of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass was an extraordinary inventor of delightful language
feature -
A brief history of yippee-ki-yay
feature The origin of Bruce Willis' famous phrase dates back centuries
feature -
The mysterious origins of the Jersey Devil
feature This fearsome creature has supposedly haunted the Garden State for hundreds of years. Boo!
feature -
!["Dwell time, that's the period after you get through security [at the airport] and before you board." - Anthony Bourdain, The Layover](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7zNBfRR8V3Y5k2FWpMHVnb.jpg)
10 weird words we learned from TV this week
feature Hogcock, kotiate, fart patio, and more
feature -
15 of our favorite words from Mad Men's sixth season
feature Yankee wrinkle, bogart, grok, and more
feature -
8 delightfully strange beard and mustache words
feature Time to marquisotte that ziff, you weirdie
feature -
10 words we learned from TV
feature Anxiet, truthinews, and more
feature -
10 sneaky pieces of thief slang
feature The true origin stories of grift, busk, smart aleck, and more criminal terms
feature -
13 words and phrases we learned from Downton Abbey's third season
feature Hobbledehoy, squiffy, Johnny Foreigner, and more
feature -
A short-tempered history of the 'curmudgeon'
feature In honor of National Curmudgeon Day, here are words to allow you to grumble, complain, grouse, kvetch, and whine to your heart's (dis)content
feature -
17 of our favorite words from Game of Thrones
feature Valyrian, pyromancer, warg, and more
feature -
Our favorite bits of 1920s slang
feature Beyond the bee's knees, phrases like French kiss, blind date, sexpert, and backseat driver were all coined in the roaring '20s
feature -
18 delightful words from the final season of The Office
feature Dumpster man, chore wheel, stairmageddon, and more
feature -
11 words coined by Charles Dickens
feature The prolific author's inventive character names have given rise to many words now common in the English language
feature -
8 words coined and popularized by Jonathan Swift
feature Yahooooooooo!
feature -
The Kentucky Derby: A brief guide to hat-related words
feature Some would have you believe the Kentucky Derby is about horse-racing. We know it's really about the hats.
feature -
A short history of Shakespearean insults
feature Being puppy-headed isn't as adorable as it sounds
feature -
The week in words
feature From horse idioms to ATMs that speak Cockney rhyming slang, the highlights from our favorite language blogs and the latest in word news and culture
feature
!["Dwell time, that's the period after you get through security [at the airport] and before you board." - Anthony Bourdain, The Layover](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7zNBfRR8V3Y5k2FWpMHVnb-800-80.jpg.webp)
