Archives

  1. Egg Boy

    Egg Boy is a nickname given to teenager Will Connolly, who egged Australian right-wing politician Fraser Anning over xenophobic comments he made after the deadly mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019.
  2. Idiot Sandwich meme

    The Idiot Sandwich meme references a 2015 comedy skit where chef Gordon Ramsay, known for giving harsh criticism on his reality cooking shows, slaps two pieces of bread over TV personality Julie Chen, making her call herself an "idiot…
  3. BTS Persona Challenge

    The BTS Persona Challenge is an internet activity where fans of the K-pop group BTS share how they've personally grown or overcome adversity under the hashtag "#PersonaChallenge."
  4. Getty

    What Is A “Ban”?

    The word ban gets bandied about a lot these days, from vegan brides wanting to ban meat-eaters from their weddings to plastic straws getting banned from coffee drinks. On an individual level, banning things we don’t like or agree with can be an easy way to rid them from our life. But, zoom out to a governmental and societal level, and bans become much more complex. What …

  5. Getty

    What’s It Called When You Misinterpret Lyrics?

    What is a mondegreen? Have you ever heard someone sing the wrong lyrics to a song? Maybe a child gave the nursery rhyme “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” a new meaning by replacing the line “life is but a dream” with “life’s a butter dream.” Or maybe you’ve unironically belted out “Excuse me while I kiss this guy,” instead of Jimi Hendrix’s intended lyrics, “Excuse me …

  6. We’ve Added Over 300 New Words To Dictionary.com!

    JSYK, we’ve added new words and definitions to the dictionary. Over 300 of them in 2019, in fact. This is one case, we think, where JOMO just doesn’t apply. We’re sure you’ve guessed by now that these additions include some new internet slang abbreviations, like JSYK (“just so you know”) and JOMO (“joy of missing out”), that reflect how technology is influencing modern life—and modern …

  7. Getty

    Why Do We Use Euphemisms For Certain Body Parts?

    by Rachel Bradley Ah, childhood, those halcyon days when you chewed on a stuffed Mr. Snuffleupagus and cruised the driveway in your foot-pedaled convertible.  Childhood was also the time when, hopefully, you learned how to peepee—with your wee wee, weenie, peenie, winkey, giney, or jay-jay.  Ring any bells? Those goofy names remind us that childhood is also when our private parts are often given cutesy …

  8. Getty

    What Are The Differences Between These Emoji Faces?

    Emoji help us convey our feelings over text or on social media. It's still not always clear what these emoji emoters are meant to show. That's why we've rounded up some of them. You'll laugh, you'll cry … or, at least, the emoji will.

  9. This Word Of The Day Quiz Is Veritably Velutinous

    Knackered after a long, skimble-scamble week? Recharge with this week’s Word of the Day Quiz. 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)!

  10. caping

    A cape is a sleeveless garment, tied around the neck from everyone from bullfighters to superheroes. Caping is slang for "defending or supporting" someone, especially someone considered unworthy of it.
  11. confirmed bachelor

    He never intends to put a ring on anything. Ever. A confirmed bachelor is a "man who never intends to marry." It has also been used as an offensive euphemism for a gay man.
  12. green background with mermaid on it

    mermaid effect

    The mermaid effect, coined by the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, states that, the more time a man spends with a woman, the more he'll find her sexually attractive–even if he initially finds her unattractive. It's also…