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etymology
Does 'Alcohol' Come from Arabic Word for 'Body-Eating Spirit'?
Written by:
Nur Ibrahim
Feb. 23, 2024
The claim is tipsy, to say the least.
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21 Word Origins the Internet Got Completely Wrong
Written by:
Shannon Sanford
Jan. 24, 2024
As it turns out, people have a propensity to make false claims about word origins.
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Word Origins the Internet Got Completely Wrong
Written by:
Shannon Sanford
Jan. 16, 2024
Word origins (etymology) is every bit the serious academic discipline you might expect it to be ...
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The History of Golliwogs and Why They're Considered Racist
Written by:
Nur Ibrahim
April 20, 2023
The golliwog made headlines in April 2023 after an Essex property owner displayed the dolls at h ...
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What Is the History of the Middle Finger?
Written by:
David Mikkelson
Sept. 29, 1999
The 'middle finger salute' did not derive from the defiant gestures of English archers whose fin ...
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Etymology of 'Tag'
Written by:
David Emery
July 19, 2018
How factual is the claim that the name of the children's game "tag" originated as the acronym of ...
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Is 'Snowflake' a Nazi Term for the Remains of Cremated Victims?
Written by:
Dan Evon
Jan. 23, 2017
A persistent rumor holds that the term "snowflake" originated during the Holocaust, but no evide ...
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Does the Word 'Guacamole' Mean 'Testicle Sauce'?
Written by:
Brooke Binkowski
Feb. 8, 2016
Both "avocado" and "guacamole" derive from the Nahuatl word for the fruit, which only secondaril ...
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Did the Word 'Swag' Originate as an Acronym?
Written by:
David Mikkelson
Sept. 25, 2012
According to rumors the word 'swag' carried a clandestine message.
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What's the Origin of 'Letting the Cat Out of the Bag'?
Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
Aug. 7, 2010
There is nothing obvious about why a cat's being released from a bag has anything to do with tru ...
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Etymology of 86
Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
March 9, 2009
Did the term '86' (to get rid of someone or something) enter the English language as part of a r ...
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What Does Pumpernickel Mean?
Written by:
David Mikkelson
May 19, 2001
Is pumpernickel bread named after a horse? Does it translate to 'devil's fart'? So many breadcru ...
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Did 'Nylon' Get Its Name By Conflating the Words 'New York' and 'London'?
Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
March 26, 2001
Nylon stockings hit the market in 1939, after being introduced at the New York World's Fair.
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Etymology of the F-Word
Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
David Mikkelson
July 12, 1999
Did the word "fuck" originate as an acronym of the phrase "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"?
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