Word Facts
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What The Nog: What’s Eggnog?
What’s in eggnog? Frothy, creamy eggnog is a festive favorite in England, Canada, and America. This winter drink consists of milk, cream, sugar, whipped egg whites, and egg yolks. There are many versions of the drink, using alcohols like rum, brandy, whiskey, and bourbon. And, it often is flavored with everything from molasses to cinnamon to nutmeg to dried pumpkin. Now, there’s even soynog or nutnog, a version of …
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Trending Words This Week
December 9–December 14
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Quiz Yourself On The Meanings Of These Names
What’s Really In A Name? Ever wonder what your name (or your best friend’s name, your significant other’s name, your mom’s name) means? Here’s your chance to find out how well you know the Dictionary.com definition of words that are also people’s names. The game is simple. Read the dictionary definition and match it with the correct word/name. If the quiz doesn’t display, please try …
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Holy $#!%: Where Did The Symbolic Swear Come From?
Why is @#$%&! naughty? When the force of a swear word is too extreme (but some form of cuss must be used) symbolic stand-ins have long been used for lewdness. Suffice it to say, any emotional keyboard-striker can blurt out something that people perceive as a sub for swears. Whether it’s to diminish the force of swear, to get around censorship rules, or maybe just because symbols are @#$%ing cool …
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Did You Just Interrupt . . . My Sentence?
What’s an interrupter? Interrupters—like this little guy right here—are squeezing into more and more contemporary writing. They’re often the goofy/sarcastic “wink-wink-nudge-nudge” asides writers play with in nonacademic writing and online content. Also called insertions, interrupting phrases, or parenthetical expressions, interrupters are words, phrases, or clauses that break the flow of writing—because if the author feels like it, why not?—to offer additional, can’t-be-held-back, or spur-of-the-moment thoughts …
