Words You Didn’t Know Were Inspired By Animals
Did you know that the word "muscle" is derived from the Latin word for “mouse?” And this isn't the only word in the English language that is unexpectedly inspired by animals.
Word Trends & Stories
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Words You Didn’t Know Came From Los Angeles
From its star-studded studios to its star-lined Walk of Fame, Los Angeles is a city that shines bright, literally and figuratively. There are few things that can’t be found within its sprawling, sunny city limits—it just might take a while to get there, depending on traffic. Even if you’ve never visited, its influence is still apparent. Los Angeles’s films scream from our screens and its celebrities plaster …
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Why We Don’t Think Kylie Is “Self-Made”
Well, it’s official. On March 5, Forbes declared makeup mogul and Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Kylie Jenner the youngest self-made billionaire ever. The publication estimates that Jenner, 21, is sitting on a billion-dollar fortune following three successful years with her business, Kylie Cosmetics, including a lucrative deal with the beauty store Ulta that pushed her fortune to new heights. Of the deal’s success, Jenner told …
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Can We Call Products “Meat” or “Milk” If They Don’t Come From An Animal?
There’s a funny scene in the 2002 romcom My Big Fat Greek Wedding in which the main character, Toula, introduces her fiancé to her aunt and explains that he’s a vegetarian. The aunt asks what that means, and when he replies that it means he doesn’t eat meat, she says in shock, “What do you mean you don’t eat no meat?” They stare at each other …
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The Issue With Casually Using The Word “Binge”
The 12 episodes of the Netflix show that you watched on Saturday. The full pint of Ben & Jerry’s you ate last Thursday night. The entire series of books you read in one week. When we enjoy things, it’s normal for us to indulge in them. There’s even a handy little word we pull out just for these instances of indulging in something we love: binge. …
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The Month Of March And “Marching” Have A Historical Link
Where did the name March come from? The name March is derived from the Latin word Martius (named after Mars, the Roman god of war). Martius was the name of the first month in the Roman calendar. It is one of the only months named after a god. While many have adopted the Gregorian calendar (The Roman ruler, Numa Pompilius, added January and February to the calendar thus making March the …
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Does “Spark Joy” Mean The Same Thing In English And Japanese?
by Ashley Austrew After the debut of Marie Kondo’s smash hit Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, in January 2019, much fuss has been made about her directive of removing items in our homes that do not, as she calls it, “spark joy.” How can household objects “spark joy”? The idea of household objects sparking joy was first mentioned in Marie Kondo’s books, The Life-Changing Magic …
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Has The Word “Ninja” Been Culturally Appropriated?
Traditionally, the word ninja is defined as “a member of a feudal Japanese society of mercenary agents, highly trained in martial arts and stealth (ninjutsu), who were hired for covert purposes ranging from espionage to sabotage and assassination.” These ninjas have captured the Western pop culture imagination since at least the 1960s, when the word was borrowed into English. Since then, ninja has expanded to describe “a …
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