Wordplay

 For the love of language

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

The acronyms began as telegraph codes

The Origin of 'Inaugurate'

It's all about telling what the future holds

9 Superb Owl Words

Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all? We do!

Popular

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Words With Remarkable Origins, Vol. 2

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

Heads up: one is 'vulgar'

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Our maraca shake brings all the hautbois to the yard

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words (or Phrases) Birds Seem to Be Saying

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

Look what you made us do

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels

We'd like to not buy a vowel

12 More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Words beloved even by cranky fans and pettichaps

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different

Including the secret history of 'secretary'

Word Choices

Gabrielle Zevin

Novelist

Emily Flake

New Yorker Cartoonist

Celeste Ng

Novelist

Eli Cymet

Video Game Writer/Producer, Cuphead

Emma Straub

Novelist and Children’s Book Author

Arts & Culture

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The Words of the Week - Jan. 24

Lookups from Washington D.C.

A Great Big List of Bread Words

Quit loafing around and get that bread (word)

A List of The U.S. Military Ranks in Order

From Private to General of the Army

9 Other Words for Beautiful

Here are some additional words for calling something lovely

What Does 'Eighty-Six' Mean?

We won't refuse you service
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Obscure & Fun

Obscure & Fun

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Get off your plum duff and check these out

Foreign

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10 of Our Favourite British Words

Please don't whinge about being knackered, you prat.

All About Latin Plurals

Check your dictionary

10 English Words from Dutch

Learn how to tell your caboodle from your caboose

10 Words from Nahuatl, the Language of the Aztecs

Avocado, chocolate, and more

Favorite Words From Foreign Languages

Karaoke, chutzpah, kerfuffle & more
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Games & Hobbies

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10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports

Are you ready for some stoolball?

A Player's Guide to 'Q' without 'U' Words

Remember this and win.

Know Your Baseball Idioms

Our national pastime. No, the other one.

Why 'Love' Means "Nothing"

In tennis. This is about tennis.

The Scoop on 'The Proof Is in the Pudding'

A delicious question
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Insults

Insults

8 Significant Words for 'Insignificant'

A list that is anything but trivial

Science & Nature

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Fruit vs. Vegetable

Are you sure you know which is what?

7 Especially Fitting Common Names for Plants

So you don't mix up your Swiss Cheese plants with your Dutchman's Breeches

12 Words for Signs of Spring

Spring is springing

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

A bouquet of floral origin stories

What is a 'coulrophobe' so afraid of?

Unusual Phobias, Vol. 2
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Word History

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Quick: Read This!

'Quick' once had a very different meaning

'Handsome,' 'Geek,' and 8 More Words That Changed Their Meanings

Language evolves

13 New Words for Old Things

When did 'mail' become 'snail mail'?

7 Run-Down Words That Have Seen Better Days

They've taken a hit but are still standing.

Compound Words That Used to Make a Lot More Sense

How 'jack' met 'pot.' How 'wed' met 'lock.'
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