It’s one of the most versatile words in the English language, but where did the F-word really come from? Originally, the naughtiest of naughty words was actually quite an acceptable word, though no English speaker would say that today.F-ck is believed to have first showed up in written form some time in the 1400s, and it was disguised in a cypher, although it was in use …
by Kory Stamper published September 25th, 2018 Is hysterical a gendered insult? It began, unsurprisingly, on cable TV. In 2017, the Senate intelligence committee called Attorney General Jeff Sessions to testify about his Russian contacts as well as conversations about those contacts with Donald Trump prior to the 2016 general election. The hearings were widely discussed, as were all things having to do with Russia, but they …
No legerdemain here … this Word of the Day Quiz is straightforward, wordy fun. If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser. Interested in Words of the Day from the past? Check out this one that we brought to life … Tell us your favorite word from this week below (and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter)!
A sequel to a treasured children’s film and a celebration of the nation’s laws both landed on the Dictionary.com trending words list for September 14–21, 2018. Here’s what else had you wondering about words. Prevarication Searches for prevarication climbed 1,209% this week on the heels of its use in a tweet by George Conway, Washington D.C. lawyer and husband of White House staffer Kellyanne Conway. Prevarication …
by Taneesh Khera In this column, we travel the US exploring the minority languages, dialects, and people who call it home. Then, we step back to see what effects they might have on society at large. Today, the spotlight is on slam poetry. What is slam poetry? I figured I’d go to the Starry Plough in Berkeley, California to find out. Started in 1999, they …