Hobbies & Passions
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We Can Thank Alexander Hamilton For Giving Us These Words
He may have been 🎶dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor🎶 … but by now we all know Alexander Hamilton grew up to be a hero and a scholar. However, did you know the first secretary of the treasury was also quite the linguist? Since Lin-Manuel Miranda turned Hamilton from a mysterious face on our $10 bill …
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Why Are Singing Groups Called “Glee Clubs”?
These infamously chipper singing groups are called glee because the melding of voices makes everyone happy, right? Actually, joy has little to do with it. Why are they really called glee clubs? Yes, one definition of glee is “open delight or pleasure,” e.g., The students ran out of the building on the last day of school with glee. Glee derives from the Old English glēo, meaning “mirth, …
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What Is A “Claret Jug”?
Since 1872, the winner of golf’s British Open, which is also called The Open Championship and the oldest of the sport’s four major tournaments, has won a trophy that goes by an unusual name: the Claret Jug. What is the origin of a claret jug? The Claret Jug, officially called the Golf Champion Trophy, is made in the style of the jugs used in the nineteenth century …
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The Forgotten Verses Of “The Star-Spangled Banner”
Do you know all the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner”? Many people have difficulty memorizing the lyrics of the first verse of this song, which is commonly performed at sports events and other public gatherings. But did you know that there are three additional verses that we almost never hear? How did the “Star-Spangled Banner” become the US National Anthem? In 1814, the poet and …
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What Was New York’s Original Name?
Gotham, the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps: New York City is virtually an emblem of America. But, how did it get its name, and where is “Old” York? What was the original name for New York? Before New York was New York, it was a small island inhabited by a tribe of the Lenape peoples. One early English rendering of the native placename …
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How Did The Month Of June Get Its Name?
June is a great month. School’s out. The days are long. The weather’s warm. Perhaps the Anglo-Saxons—who spoke that linguistic ancestor of English known as Old English—were onto something when they collectively called June and July Liða. That’s pronounced like [lee–thuh], with the character ð having the voiced th-, like this. Liða itself may mean “calm” or “mild.” On its own, June was sometimes also referred to as Ærra-Liða, which is like …
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Scrabble Rules Some Experts Don’t Even Know
What does it take to win a game of Scrabble? Intelligence, mastery of the English language, and a little luck certainly can’t hurt. There are, however, some little-known rules of the game that might give you an even stronger leg up when it comes to laying down those tiles and laying out all your opponents. Here are eight Scrabble rules most people don’t know that …
