In the 17th century, high jinks were boisterous drinking games. High jinks may be related to the Scottish word jink, meaning “to turn quickly or move nimbly to one side” or “to make a jerky movement, and by extension “to trick or cheat.” The high...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski offers clues to words tagged archaic in dictionaries, first asking whether they ring a bell and then dropping each into a sentence. A sample clue: “Three times in the last decade the Duchess of Cambridge has experienced...
Books that make great gifts for language-lovers, the difference between a nerd and a geek, and talk about a new term, poutrage, and what do you call the crust in the corners of your eyes after a night’s sleep?
What do the words marathon, paisley, and bikini have in common? They’re all words that derive from the names of places. Martha and Grant talk about these and other toponyms. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Toponyms” You’re...