What’s the origin of slang words everyone uses? Have you ever overheard a bunch of kids using slang you’ve never heard before and thought “What does that even mean?” Of course, you have. Language is a ...

“Every word was coined by a resourceful individual or borrowed as a result of language contact in a certain place at a certain time,” writes Anatoly Liberman in his new book, “Word Origins and How We ...

My fellow bloggers over at BNET Intercom have revealed some fun facts about National Boss Day (which is today, by the way, lest you forget to buy your boss a box of chocolates or a bottle of the ...

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. Those who happen to be mused sufficiently in the art and science of etymology, the study of the origins and histories of words; those, in other words, ...

Science historian Howard Markel discusses the origins of the word moon and some of the lore surrounding it, including a 1638 book by the English bishop Francis Godwin entitled The Man in the Moone, ...

Science Diction is a bite-sized podcast about words—and the science stories behind them. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and sign up for our newsletter. Editor’s Note, March 13, 2019: Since ...

Science Diction is a bite-sized podcast about words—and the science stories behind them. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and sign up for our newsletter. Note: This piece has been updated.

From The London Daily Mail. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Full text is unavailable for this digitized archive article. Subscribers may view the full ...