It’s probably safe to assume that as long as humans have been speaking, we’ve been cussing and cursing. What can the connection between “curse,” “swear,” “cuss” and “profanity” tell us about all the words we aren’t supposed to say, yet say with great frequency? Cursing vs. cussing Placing a curse obviously isn’t the same as uttering curse words, but both concepts start with the Christian Church. …
As you munch on guacamole and chips, chew on the etymology of the humble avocado. Its many names are as wacky as the fruit is yummy. What is an alligator pear or a fertility fruit? A biologist calls it persea americana, but avocado derives from the Nahuatl word ahuacatl, which also refers to a certain part of the male anatomy that the fruit somewhat resembles. In …
When was the last time you ordered a credit report? The paper document is abstruse enough, but you have to maneuver through the morass of oddly-named companies that produce them — Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and more. The process is abstract, but the results are concrete. There’s some new, and bad, news about those infamous numbers. More than a
A novice tennis fan wouldn’t be blamed for being confused about who’s winning a match—an understanding of the language of tennis scores is needed to appreciate the game! Unlike soccer, basketball, and baseball, which simply count points for every goal, basket, and run, tennis has a scoring system (and lexicon) all its own. At the beginning of the game, when both sides have no score, …
Some call it soda. Others say soft drink, fizzy drink, soda pop, or just plain-old pop. There is no right word for the sweet carbonated beverage, although it would be wrong not to know the linguistic background behind the bubbles. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a thirst … for knowledge, that is. Why are soft drinks called soft? The “soft” in soft drinks is …
To rant is “to speak or declaim extravagantly or violently; talk in a wild or vehement way; rave.” The origin of the word has appropriately wild roots. The precise linguistic source is uncertain, but rant as a verb emerges around 1600, simultaneous with an outrageous religious sect in England called the Ranters. The Ranters were one of many antinomian Christian groups that appeared in England following …
Today the AKC (American Kennel Club), the main organization for dog breeders in the United States, recognized three new dog breeds: the Icelandic Sheepdog, the Leonberger, and the Cane Corso. This means that breeders of these three types of canine gain access to the
You probably know how it works: kids take the ACT or the SAT, learn their scores, then send the results to schools that will decide the fate of America’s youth. But, what do these test names actually mean? What is ACT short for? As for that trick question, since 1996, the ACT has been short for nothing. The test was developed in the 1950s as …
On Friday, Kellogg’s recalled about 28 million boxes of cereal because consumers reported a unusual smell coming from the packaging that could potentially make people ill. In order to help identify the specific products involved, Kellogg’s referred the public to the universal product code (UPC). That’s the official name for the pattern of black lines on the side of almost everything you can possibly purchase.
The Gaza Strip—also referred to as just Gaza—is often in international headlines. How well do you know the meaning of this name? What does Gaza mean? The word Gaza comes from the Hebrew Azzah, loosely meaning “strong city.” The entire region is named for its capital city, which has been conquered many times over the centuries. Among its many rulers were the Philistines. The theme …
A study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that smokers with greater amounts of Vitamin B6 may be less likely to develop lung cancer. The findings are preliminary, but have caused a lot of excitement. Behind the promising health news is a great question: Why are vitamins named with various letters and numbers? Does the letter match the name of a chemical, like Vitamin C and citric …
In the financial markets, there is a special day called a quadruple witching day. That may sound like hocus pocus, but it actually describes a logical, if hectic, event. Let’s break it down. The quadruple refers to four stock agreements that all expire: Stock index futures (buying/selling stocks on a future day) Stock index options (the right to buy/sell a stock on financial indexes, like …