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While interrupting a chronological sequence to go back in time is an ancient narrative technique, the word "flashback" first appeared in 1916.
Jargon's second sense is that of 鈥渙bscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions and long words,鈥� as Merriam-Webster puts it.
Sometime in the 2010s, intersectionality left the ivory tower and got thoroughly wrapped up in the culture wars.
For centuries, wordsmiths have demanded punctuation marks that would convey irony and sarcasm the way verbal intonation does in spoken conversation.
Does "rooting" for a sports team have to do with the underground parts of plants? Yes, etymology suggests 鈥� and pigs may be involved, too.
From filling to fitting to footing, the English language has lots of "bill" idioms 鈥� but the bills involved are not the same.
Whether at "at sixes and sevens" or "at loggerheads," these idioms both suggest being mired in the midst of a strong disagreement.
It鈥檚 easier for the general public to grasp what is going on when complicated computerized processes are explained in terms of human cognition.
Vermonters have catamounts while Northwesterners have cougars. But, it turns out, there's only one wild cat in the New World, Puma concolor.
"Green" has been used since the 1970s to describe individuals, political parties, and products that take steps to preserve the natural environment.
The media loves to write about "watershed" moments, our language columnist writes. Geologically, though, a watershed is a drainage basin.
The past two years were all about COVID-19 鈥� "pandemic," "quarantine," "vaccine." This year dictionaries have (mostly) moved on.
English has made a connection between light and insight 鈥� think "enlightenment" since its beginnings as a language.
Denmark has "hygge," but don't forget the Norwegian "koselig," the Swedish "mys," or the Icelandic "gluggave冒ur" (window weather.)
Even the now-ordinary terms "man" and "wife," "husband," and "groom" were once lexical innovations.
Aristotle posited that houses aren鈥檛 just material structures of stones, bricks, and timber. They are also 鈥渞eceptacles to shelter ... living beings.鈥�
Stars don鈥檛 make sounds we can hear, but saying that they 鈥渢winkle鈥� at night is a way of painting a picture with sound.
Just because you don鈥檛 speak Danish doesn鈥檛 mean that you can鈥檛 experience the particular sense of coziness that the famous "hygge" denotes.
When people in Greece make a deal or reach an agreement, they achieve a symphon铆a. Seeing eye to eye is a 鈥渟ymphony,鈥� which is a beautiful thought.
No, 鈥済olf鈥� does not mean 鈥済entlemen only; ladies forbidden.鈥� Rather, its dry etymology leads us back to the Middle Dutch word 鈥渃olf鈥� or 鈥渃olve.鈥�
