How Did the Raccoon Get His Name?
Captain John Smith, an English adventurer, coined the phrase in 1608 to describe the native people and their rarowcun skin garments. English colonists abbreviated…
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Phrase
Why Do People Use the Phrase Jiminy Cricket?
When someone exclaims “by jiminy, jumpin’ jiminy, etc,” they are employing an old-fashioned exclamation or mild profanity to convey surprise, amazement, or wonder (as…
Dictionary Dot Com Has Not Defined Its 2025 Word of the Year
Dictionary.com has crowned a set of numbers as its 2025 word of the year. It reserves that distinction for a word that reflects “social…
In What Way Would You Define Achilles Heel?
An Achilles’ heel is a deadly weakness in spite of overall strength, that can actually or potentially lead to downfall. While the mythological origin…
How Did Canaries Help Coal Miners?
There was a time when coal miners wouldn’t set foot in a coal mine without a canary present. Canaries protected them from a danger that lurks…