Communicating by text often involves those colorful symbols called emoji, those cartoon-like images of everything from smiley faces to sushi. As of Summer 2025, there were some 3800 of them, and every few months, the Unicode Consortium adds even...
This week’s head-scratcher from Quiz Guy John Chaneski is like a puzzle about similes. In fact, it is a puzzle about similes. For example, say you’re looking for a word to complete the phrase dead as a. You might choose the name of a bird, or you...
squatch n.— «From more than 30 expeditions, we know that sasquatches are primates with certain predictable behavior patterns.…The name “bigfoot” has caught on with the public, but most investigators refer to them as “squatches.”» —“Bigfoot is one...
scofticism n.— «Our side’s comebacks have lacked its punch and pizzazz. Neither “fundamentalist materialism” nor “pseudo-skepticism” nor “pathological skepticism” nor sneer-quoted “skepticism” can match it as a Tenacious Taunting Tag. But my term...
yowie suit n. a shaggy camouflage coverall or clothing outfit, also known as a ghillie suit. Editorial Note: Occasionally just yowie, especially in attributive uses. Here’s a good picture of a yowie suit. Etymological Note: The suit is said to...