etymology
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
Sept. 25, 2009
Rumor holds that Jimmies, the chocolate sprinkles used on confections, are so named as a referen ...
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
March 12, 2009
'The exception proves the rule' means 'counter-examples verify the adage's claim.'
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
March 9, 2009
Did the term '86' (to get rid of someone or something) enter the English language as part of a r ...
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
May 25, 2008
Is someone who cheats at cards properly styled a 'card shark,' not a 'card sharp'?
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
Feb. 18, 2008
Did the phrase 'Kilroy Was Here' began as a ship inspector's mark in World War II?
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
April 19, 2005
Does the exclamation "holy smoke" derive from the burning of the ballots used to elect a Pope?
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
Oct. 4, 2003
Are strawberries so named because they are bedded in straw?
Written by: David Mikkelson
May 17, 2003
Were 'crowbars' devices used to perform menial labor assigned to blacks?
Written by: Snopes Staff Barbara Mikkelson
Jan. 16, 2003
Does the word "tip" derive from the acronymic form of the phrase "To Insure Promptness" or "To I ...
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
Sept. 6, 2002
The disputed etymology of 'son of a gun.'
Written by: Snopes Staff Barbara Mikkelson
Aug. 13, 2002
Was the word "shit" formed from an acronym of 'Ship High in Transit'?
Written by: David Mikkelson
July 24, 2002
Sometimes it doesn't matter whether you use language correctly, because people will think you're ...
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
Feb. 26, 2002
Were death benefits paid to beneficiaries of soldiers who died in battle often enough to pay off ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
July 31, 2001
Does 'hoity-toity' comes from the French words for 'high roof'?
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson
June 4, 2001
Another linguistic mystery over the origins of something everyone's heard about but has never ac ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
May 29, 2001
Did the word 'gringo' come from the song 'Green Grow the Lilacs'?
Written by: David Mikkelson
May 19, 2001
Is pumpernickel bread named after a horse? Does it translate to 'devil's fart'? So many breadcru ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
May 19, 2001
The cut of steak known as "sirloin" is not so named because an English king once knighted a piec ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
April 26, 2001
The English word 'news' is said to derive from an acronym formed from the words 'north,' east,' ...
Written by: Barbara Mikkelson
April 17, 2001
Some questions, no matter how simple, don't have one knowable answer.
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