Language

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.

A golfer putting at the Hazeltine National Golf Course during the 2002 PGA Championship.

Golf: Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden? Is the word 'golf' an acronym formed from 'gentlemen only; ladies forbidden'?

False

Did People Refer to Gaslighting During the Era of ‘I Love Lucy’? A stray piece of dialogue from the 2021 biopic "Being the Ricardos" set off a...

Mostly False

Etymology of Buck Does use of the word 'buck' as a slang term for 'dollar' derive from a...

Etymology of ‘Phat’ Does "phat" come from an acronym formed from "Pretty Hot And Tempting"?

False

Etymology of ‘News’ The English word 'news' is said to derive from an acronym formed from the words...

False

Etymology of the ‘F-Word’ Did the word 'fuck' originate as an acronym of the phrase 'for unlawful carnal knowledge'?

False

The Etymology of ‘Shit’ Was the word "shit" formed from an acronym of 'Ship High in Transit'?

False

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’ Here's our two cents on why people use the phrase, and what some people believe...

False

Was ‘Twerk’ Added to the Oxford English Dictionary? The word is older than we think.

True

Did UN Ban the Word ‘War’ Regarding Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine? Staff were reportedly advised to instead use “conflict” or “military offensive.”

Mixture

Why Are Blue Laws Called ‘Blue Laws’? The term 'blue laws' historically defined regulations intended to preserve the Sabbath by proscribing what...

False

Pink Slip Firing or Being Laid Off from a Job

Where Did the Term ‘Pink Slip’ Originate? Another linguistic mystery over the origins of something everyone's heard about but has never actually...

Unproven