What is the letter H doing in the English word ghost? The answer has to do with 15th-century Flemish typesetters working for the English printer William Caxton. They often added an H after an initial hard G to reflect the spelling of cognates in...
Giving your baby an unusual moniker may seem like a great idea at the time. But what if you have second thoughts? One mother of a newborn had such bad namer’s remorse, she poured out her heart to strangers online. Speaking of mothers and daughters:...
What is the difference between a ghost and a spirit? English bibles use both Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit, depending on the translation. The modern idea of the Scooby Doo-type ghost came about much later. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript...
God breeze n. a commonplace epiphany or revelation (attributed to divine influence). Editorial Note: A similar word is theopneusty, meaning “divine inspiration” and coming from the Greek word for “God” and “breathe.” Etymological Note: According to...