Latest articles by Arika Okrent
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15 pairs of words that seem etymologically related but aren't
feature There's no bomb in bombast
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The Imitation Game codebreakers also created brilliant palindromes
feature In between cracking Nazi secrets, the storied cryptanalysts tried to one-up each other in word games
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What is vocal fry?
The Explainer Kim Kardashian does it. So did the ancient Mayans.
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6 places where lexicographers find old slang
feature Thanks, vagabonds!
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11 words you might not realize come from 'love'
feature Love can be found in unexpected places — including our vocabulary
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Watch this adorable baby acquire sign language through rhythm and rhyme
feature Yes, rhythm and rhyme can exist in a visual medium. Let this baby show you.
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These designer chocolates let you taste the meaning of Japanese words
feature Rarely has language been this delicious
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15 unique illnesses you can only come down with in German
feature Kreislaufzusammenbruch sounds way worse than it is
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13 words of the year from other countries
feature Spain likes selfies, too
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The American Dialect Society's word of the year
feature #Blacklivesmatter
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Your family name did not come from a mistake at Ellis Island
feature So how did Jensen become Johnson, Koenigsberger become Kingsley, and Mlodzianowski become Murphy?
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8 ad headlines that sneakily ding the competition
feature When it comes to advertisements, making direct comparisons between competing products can be tricky
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20 awesomely titled trade magazines
feature Beef Today, Packaging World, Website Magazine, and more
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29 answers to the question 'What is a human being?'
feature We humans are such complicated creatures
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6 early theories about the origin of language
feature Scholars have dubbed these sometimes unsupportable conjectures with names like the La-La Theory and the Ding-Dong Theory
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In defense of hamantashen
feature The three-cornered Purim pastry has long lived in the beloved latke's long shadow
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The 65-year battle over the Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act
feature Opponents of the bill saw it as a slippery slope that would lead to the legalization of all kinds of incest
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How to converse properly: 18 tips from old etiquette books
feature "Never ask a lady a question about anything whatever"
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How to wrap a present with mathematical precision (and waste less paper)
feature You're going to need a ruler. And a calculator.
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7 overlooked Thanksgiving rituals, according to sociologists
feature Here are some surprising "rituals" from the first major sociological study of Thanksgiving
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The strange world of USDA place labels
feature Place names qualified with "style" require very specific preparations or ingredients. Here are 25.
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The most expensive properties in 11 special edition Monopoly games
feature Yep, there was a Bass Fishing Edition
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5 baffling foreign-language versions of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song
feature "Here is my kingdom, here is where I strive. Here I will reign as Prince of Bel-Air."
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4 surprising things Facebook has learned from your relationship status
feature For starters: Breaking up is less hard to do during summer
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