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Have you heard the phrases the cat鈥檚 pajamas or the bee鈥檚 knees? Flappers, bent on enjoying social freedoms obtained by suffragists, coined them both.
These abbreviations are 鈥渇requently confused even by the most conscientious writers,鈥� according to Merriam-Webster. Here鈥檚 how to stop mixing them up.
The football team in the U.S. capital recently gained a very literal name: Washington Football Team. It鈥檚 a placeholder for a more offensive moniker.
By the beginning of the 20th century, there were no living fluent speakers of W么pan芒ak. But today, a language program in Cape Cod is changing that.
Many people identify strongly with sports teams. What do the names of their favorites suggest about the teams, the games, and the faithful fans?
If a majority of us feel like frauds at least some of the time, is it really a 鈥渟yndrome鈥�? Or is it a normal, if uncomfortable, part of being human?
Some of the words and idioms that developed during the Civil War are still common in English, while others have gone AWOL.
Nouns and verbs must 鈥渁gree鈥� in English. But the difference between 鈥渇ormal鈥� and 鈥渘otional鈥� agreement is a contentious topic.
In recent decades, bosom buddy has seen a large increase in popularity. Boon companion, another term for 鈥渃lose friend,鈥� did not fare as well.
Today you can 鈥渇riend鈥� people with the touch of a key on Facebook. But etymologically speaking, 鈥渇riendship鈥� is much more intense.
The subjunctive form is one of the trickiest parts of English to get right 鈥� and of course Beyonc茅鈥檚 鈥淚f I Were a Boy鈥� nails it perfectly.
Blurb, zany, and pants are all eponymous words with origins in the names of fictional characters 鈥� and there鈥檚 plenty more to be found.
The most famous example of an eponymous word is probably sandwich. But there are many others that go unnoticed in daily conversation.
At first glance, feisty seems like a compliment. But it鈥檚 an adjective that subtly undermines even while it ostensibly praises.
Where does the expression 鈥渏umpin鈥� Jehoshaphat!鈥� come from? It has its origins in the 19th century, but the details are somewhat fuzzy.
It might seem like an easy task to name the longest English word 鈥� just look it up in the dictionary. But in practice, experts disagree.
The fact that the slogan 鈥淒efund the police鈥� needs explanation is a plus because it serves as a quick, catchy way into a larger, more complex story.
Write, wrong, wrist, wrath 鈥� these are among the oldest words in English. But they鈥檙e very different than they were in Anglo-Saxon English.
Most women who campaigned for the right to vote preferred the gender-neutral term, 鈥渟uffragist.鈥� So why does the diminutive 鈥渟uffragette鈥� persist?
I鈥檓 raring to go. Or am I rearing to go instead? Which one is correct? This is a nerve-racking question, or perhaps a nerve-wracking one.
