Centuries ago, monks who took a vow of silence developed their own hand signs, with hundreds of gestures, that are still in use today. Plus, how do speakers of different languages distinguish similar shades and tints of colors such as red, yellow...
The English words vein and vain may be homophones, but they come from completely different etymological roots. Vein traveled into English via Old French veine, which in turn came from Latin vena, meaning “blood vessel.” Vain, meaning...
Todd Purdum’s recent Vanity Fair article on the presidency contains intriguing beltway slang, including gaggle and full lid. This is part of a complete episode.
asshole footprint n.— «Regrettably, some Americans are simply not aware of how large an asshole footprint they leave on the planet.» —“Know Your Asshole Footprint” Vanity Fair Oct., 2007. (source: Double-Tongued...