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Fact ChecksLanguage
The very tool we use to communicate urban legends to each other — language — is itself a source of folklore. A number of the words and phrases in use today have interesting origins that have almost become obscured in the mists of time. Equally, our sense of romance leads us to invent unusual origins for commonplace words rather than be satisfied with their mundane beginnings.

The Origins of 420

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
Sep 13, 2002 The story of how the code '420' entered drug parlance as a term signifying the time to light up ...
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Does Oxfam Handbook Advise Against Using the Words 'Mother' and 'Youth'?

Written by:
Alex Kasprak
Mar 17, 2023 In March 2023, the anti-poverty charity released an "Inclusive Language Guide."
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The word "False" is over a screenshot of a Twitter post that says, "The phrase “knocked up,” referring to pregnancy, originated with U.S. slavery. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the expression back to 1813. Back then the price of enslaved African women was “knocked up” by the auctioneer when she was pregnant—promoted as a deal for buyers."

No, the Phrase 'Knocked Up' Didn't Originate with Slavery

Written by:
Izz Scott LaMagdeleine
Feb 11, 2023 The earliest known usage of the term comes from a diary entry about a widow.
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Did the Word ‘Spaz’ Originate from an Insult to People with Spastic Diplegia?

Written by:
Nur Ibrahim
Jan 7, 2023 Ableist language is pretty common in daily use.
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Was the Word 'Hangover' Derived from Drunken Sailors Sleeping on Ropes?

Written by:
Alex Kasprak
Dec 23, 2022 The word has been in circulation since 1894.
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Book, Money, Person

Does the Word 'Buck' Derive From a Reference to Black Male Slaves?

Written by:
David Mikkelson
Mar 25, 2001 Here's the etymology of “buck” to mean “dollar."
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Here’s my two cents” in the sense of airing an unsolicited opinion dates only to the mid-1920s, and likely began in the U.S.

The Etymology of 'Two Cents'

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson
Jun 1, 2013 Here's our two cents on why people use the phrase, and what some people believe are its origins.
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What Is the History of the Middle Finger?

What Is the History of the Middle Finger?

Written by:
David Mikkelson
Sep 29, 1999 The 'middle finger salute' did not derive from the defiant gestures of English archers whose fin ...
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Clothing, Apparel, Person

Did UN Ban the Word ‘War’ Regarding Russia's Invasion of Ukraine?

Written by:
Madison Dapcevich
Mar 8, 2022 Staff were reportedly advised to instead use “conflict” or “military offensive.”
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Is 'Covfefe' a Word in Arabic? Yiddish? 'Antediluvian'?

Written by:
Megan Alpert Kim LaCapria
Jun 2, 2017 After President Donald Trump mistyped (then deleted) a tweet, some hurried to ascribe meanings t ...
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A golfer putting at the Hazeltine National Golf Course during the 2002 PGA Championship.

Golf: Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden?

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson
Feb 19, 2002 Is the word 'golf' an acronym formed from 'gentlemen only; ladies forbidden'?
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Wood, Furniture, Table

1895 Exam

Written by:
David Mikkelson
Oct 23, 2000 Does an 1895 graduation examination for public school students demonstrate a shocking decline in ...
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Dictionary definition of twerk

Was ‘Twerk’ Added to the Oxford English Dictionary?

Written by:
Nur Ibrahim
Jul 26, 2022 The word is older than we think.
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Person, Human, Finger

Did People Refer to Gaslighting During the Era of 'I Love Lucy'?

Written by:
Dan MacGuill
Dec 23, 2021 A stray piece of dialogue from the 2021 biopic "Being the Ricardos" set off a fascinating online ...
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Boat, Transportation, Vehicle

Is Greenland Called Greenland Because It's a Green Land?

Written by:
Dan Evon
Mar 22, 2021 Erik the Red's 10th century marketing ploy is still fooling some people.
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pandemicide

Is 'Pandemicide' a New Word Coined To Describe Trump's COVID-19 Response?

Written by:
Bethania Palma
Feb 25, 2021 The earliest use of the term we found was from 2020.
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Sailing ships

Is It 'Sea Shanty' or 'Sea Chanty'?

Written by:
David Mikkelson
Feb 17, 2021 The word for a sailor's work song is pronounced SHAN-tee, but how you choose to spell it is up t ...
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Does 'Homework' Spelled Backwards Mean 'Child Abuse' in Latin?

Written by:
Alex Kasprak
Jan 31, 2021 Thousands of languages have existed throughout the history of humanity. There is no evidence the ...
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Do Most People Struggle To Recognize the Lowercase Letter ‘G’?

Written by:
Madison Dapcevich
Nov 16, 2020 The letter "G" is one of several English letters that has multiple lowercase versions.
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Does 'Quarantine' Originate from the Word 'Forty' (Days) in Italian?

Written by:
David Mikkelson
Apr 23, 2020 A "quarantine" separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious d ...
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