receipts
Receipts is slang for "proof" or "evidence," often used to call out someone for lying or to show someone is being genuine. In popular culture, such receipts may come in the form of screenshots, images,…
Search Results for: drag culture
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What Is The Origin Of “Beware The Ides Of March”?
March 15 is known as the ides of March. But why do we need to “beware” of them? What’s so inauspicious about this otherwise normal day? Why has this humdrum mid-month point become a harbinger of ill fortune? Where did the phrase ides of March come from? First, let’s talk calendars—specifically, the ancient Roman calendar. Unlike today, the ancient Romans didn’t simply number their calendar days in …
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What’s Happening With The Word “Unicorn”?
What do Scotland, Silicon Valley, LGBTQ pride, and Jesus Christ all have in common? Unicorns. You read that right, unicorns. This connection may sound as fantastical as unicorns themselves, that mythical horse famed for the single horn it bears on its forehead. But, only a creature as unique as a unicorn could span such a wide array of contexts. So, too, can the word unicorn. Since …
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Why “Identity” Was Dictionary.com’s 2015 Word Of The Year
In 2015, Dictionary.com saw a number of themes emerge in the words that gained enough traction to be added to the dictionary along with words that trended in user lookups. The most prominent theme across both of these areas was in the expanding and increasingly fluid nature of conversations about gender and sexuality. Additionally, the theme of racial identity led to some of the most …
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Z shit
The expression Z shit comes from the 2018 song "ZEZE" by Kodak Black. It's used to refer to his gangster, Haitian Creole lifestyle. -
How Did The Month Of June Get Its Name?
June is a great month. School’s out. The days are long. The weather’s warm. Perhaps the Anglo-Saxons—who spoke that linguistic ancestor of English known as Old English—were onto something when they collectively called June and July Liða. That’s pronounced like [ lee–thuh ], with the character ð having the voiced th-, like this. Liða itself may mean “calm” or “mild.” On its own, June was sometimes also referred to as Ærra-Liða, which is like …
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funeral potatoes
Funeral potatoes are a type of cheese and potato casserole, often served at large family gatherings in the Midwest and especially in the Mormon Church. -
Why “Complicit” Was Dictionary.com’s 2017 Word Of The Year
As 2017 comes to a close, it’s time for us to reflect on the words that impacted all of us this year—for better or for worse. At Dictionary.com, the Word of the Year serves as a symbol of the year’s most meaningful events and lookup trends. Our 2017 Word of the Year is complicit. Complicit means “choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable …
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nibba
Nibba is an alteration of nigga, a variant of the N-word reclaimed by some Black speakers. Nibba is primarily used by white people online to avoid getting in trouble for using nigga. It is nevertheless still… -
What Is “Maundy Thursday,” And What Does “Maundy” Mean?
No, Maundy Thursday is not a typo for Monday Thursday. Maundy Thursday—also known as Holy Thursday and Sheer Thursday, among other names—is a Christian holy day that commemorates events known as the Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper. This day is part of the Holy Week leading up to Easter. Maundy Thursday comes after Holy Wednesday, and is followed immediately by Good Friday, …
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Iron Fist
Iron Fist is a Marvel Comics superhero who practices martial arts. His name, in part, alludes to the expression iron fist, a metaphor for ruthless authority. -
otherkin
An otherkin is someone who identifies as a non-human species or mythological entity.