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10 Songs You Had No Idea Were Inspired By Literature
Sometimes it’s hard not to hum that song that’s stuck in your head. It’s also incredibly satisfying when you’re able to hum it all the way through. What you may not realize, however, is that sometimes as you hum your favorite earworm, you might be humming about a piece of literature, motifs and all. Take a look at the rock songs below, and see which …
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No One Pronounces These 10 Words The Same
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong famously sang about the controversial pronunciations of words like tomato (to-mah-to?), potato (po-tah-to?), either, neither, pajamas, and others in the song “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” They settled nothing, and people have been debating the right way to say these words ever since. And those aren’t the only words that send people to opposing corners, either. There are a host …
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Where Did The Phrase “Thoughts And Prayers” Come From?
From mass shootings to natural disasters, it seems like every day, there’s a new tragedy on the news. With social media amplifying these stories, more and more people are offering their condolences than ever before. And one of the most popular phrases online? “Thoughts and prayers.” While theories on the history of the phrase “thoughts and prayers” vary, it is often traced back to the …
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Words From Minecraft: What Are Your Kids Saying?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve no doubt heard of the super-popular computer game Minecraft. As of May 2020, there were over 126 million active players of Minecraft monthly. That’s a lot of people—particularly young people. Many adults find the whole Minecraft phenomenon bewildering. After all, why are kids so obsessed with a game whose graphics look straight …
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boogaloo
Boogaloo refers to a loosely organized extremist movement that supports a second American Civil War, which they also refer to as a boogaloo. Adherents of the movement, known as the Boogaloo Boys or Bois, hold… -
These Uncommon Singular Words Sound So Wrong
Sometimes we can’t remember the plural form of a word—is it hippopotamuses or hippopotami? (Hint: it can be either). But there are also those times when we’re so used to hearing the plural form of a word that we just can’t think of the singular. Even if we can remember the correct word, it tends to sound so odd and unfamiliar that we second guess …
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“Contagious” vs. “Infectious”: The Difference Can Be Important
by John Kelly, Senior Research Editor at Dictionary.com Whether it’s flu season, chickenpox at your kid’s school, concerns about measles in your town, or the coronavirus pandemic, the words contagious and infectious often come around in news and social media, in casual conversations and government communications. While these two terms get used interchangeably, knowing the difference between them can, in some cases, be life-saving. To …
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What’s The Difference Between Acronyms vs. Abbreviations?
Is there a difference between acronyms and abbreviations? Most people think they’re pretty similar … and they’re definitely used in similar ways. But, there are slight differences What is an abbreviation? An abbreviation is any shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase. Did you catch the word any in there? That means abbreviation is the blanket term for all these shortened words we’ve all been using …
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What’s The Problem With Whataboutism?
There are all sorts of retorts people resort to when criticized or called out for a mistake or wrongdoing of some kind. (Heaven forbid anyone just say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong,” anymore.) One of the most maddening kinds is increasingly being referred to as whataboutism. You know it when you hear it. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to do the dishes last night?” you ask your …
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shelfie
A shelfie is a picture of a shelf, especially a bookshelf that shows off someone’s books, movies, art, collectibles, special belongings, etc. A shelfie can also be a proper selfie if you are in the… -
How The Hot Dog Got Its Silly (And Kind of Gross) Name
This July 4th weekend, how about taking some time to consider the names of those items you are about to eat? Brace yourself for the short and disputed history of that American grilling favorite: the hot dog. Why do we call hot dogs, well, hot dogs? There are a few schools of thought on the origin of this favorite food. Some think that people commonly …
