From Valentine’s Day cards to messages from your mom, a typical sign-off to show love and affection is XOXO. The X stands for kiss and the O stands for a hug—but why? Well, the origin of these symbols is uncertain, but we can make some educated guesses about where they come from. Why is X the symbol for a kiss? The use of X as a …
If you thought dating slang originated with terms like ghosting or breadcrumbing, think again. Popular culture has always included pet names and other unique language to describe all things love and romance. Some of these terms originated in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, while others go back even further than that. But all of them helped lay the groundwork for the interesting and sometimes odd …
The first records of the word valentine in its modern sense come from the 1400s. Valentines and Valentine’s Day get their name from feast day of Saint Valentine, but there are at least two saints named Valentine, one of whom became a martyr around the year 270 CE. The name Valentine comes from a Latin word meaning “strength.” There are many legends about it, but …
Anytime or any time? The two tend to be used in the same exact contexts, but that one little space can make a lot of grammatical difference. In this article, we’ll discuss how and when to use each form and explain which one is an adverb and why. Don’t know what that means? Read on to find out! Any time is a common and straightforward …
You don’t hear the word pangs too often. When you do, it’s often in specific contexts, and after certain words, especially birth and hunger. But what is a pang, exactly? And is it different from a pain? In this article, we’ll satisfy your hunger for answers to those questions and to the question of whether the proper phrase is hunger pangs or hunger pains. A …
Poor Dan is in a droop. Sit on a potato pan, Otis. What do these—admittedly very unusual—sentences have in common? They’re palindromes. Palin-what-in-the-what-now? What is a palindrome, and what does it mean? A palindrome is a word, sentence, verse, or even number that reads the same backward or forward. It derives from Greek roots that literally mean “running back” (palin is “again, back,” and dromos, “running.”) …
Sure, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events in the world (World Cup fans, feel free to weigh in here), and an unofficial national holiday in the United States. On February 11, 2024, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will face off in Super Bowl LVIII (58). While sports fans are waiting to see which team takes it all, the …
You know it as the shortest month of the year—or, depending on where you live, the coldest. But, do you know where the name February came from? First, some calendar-related history. The original Roman calendar only had 10 months, because, curiously, the Romans didn’t demarcate winter. (Sometimes, we wish we could do the same.) In the 700s BCE, the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, …
Language is constantly evolving, but there’s one type of language that so often changes even faster than the rest: slang. Every generation has its own unique slang words, and these terms seem to spring up faster than many people can keep up with. The popularity of TikTok and other social media trends has only made it easier for new slang to take hold, and if …
There are, of course, many complex ethical, environmental, and nutritional reasons for choosing vegetarianism in all its different forms, but we wanted to know—where did the words themselves come from? Who invented veganism? Vegetarianism has been around for a very long time. Some studies of mummified Egyptians show they had vegetarian diets. Historians also date this diet back to Ancient Greek philosophers, and religious sects …
On February 2, places in North America, like Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, hold annual celebrations featuring groundhogs to determine how many more weeks of winter there will be based on whether they see their shadows. But are they really groundhogs, gophers, or woodchucks? In this article, we’ll dig into the differences between gophers, groundhogs, and woodchucks, discuss how the terms can overlap, and explain how these animals …
While there’s an undeniable draw to outdoor activities in the summer sunshine, winter brings its own set of beloved sports. And some of the most popular around the world, of course, are featured in the Winter Olympics every four years. In 2022, some of the world’s best winter athletes showcased their skills in skating, skiing, sledding, and snowboarding competitions in Beijing. Whether you’re a regular …
