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...
Gabby in San Diego asks about the origin of smitten, a word she likes enough to want it on a vanity license plate. Smitten is the past participle of smite, the old verb meaning “to strike” or “to beat,” familiar from the King James Bible. The...
The British publishers of the Collins dictionary have announced 24 words on their endangered species list. They’re words like “vilipend,” which means “to treat with contempt,” and “nitid,” that’s n-i-t...