Fact-based Word Journeys
The Word Tomato Was Born in the Language of the Aztecs
Tomato, tomate and the Russian tomat all grew from one Aztec word, tomatl, while Russian also kept a second name that means golden apples.
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Fiction Made-Up Words
Plugspin
(n.) The ritual of trying a plug one way up, then the other, then the first way again, which somehow now works perfectly.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Pocketdrum
(n.) The brisk little drumroll you play on your own pockets in the doorway, checking for keys, phone and wallet in the same order every single time.
Fact-based Word Journeys
The Word Robot Was Born in a Czech Play, Thanks to a Painter Brother
Robot, the Russian robot and the Spanish robot all come from a single stage play written in Prague in 1920, where a writer's brother suggested an old Czech word for hard, dull work.
Fact-based Word Journeys
Tea, Té and Chai Are One Chinese Word That Took Two Roads
English and Spanish say tea and té, Russian says chai, and all three are the same Chinese word, split in two by whether it travelled west on a ship or on the back of a camel.
Fact-based Cosmic Questions
Where Does a Lap Go When You Stand Up?
A cat can find one instantly, it holds a plate perfectly well, and the moment you get out of the chair it is simply not anywhere.
Fact-based Weird Facts
The Dot on an i Is Called a Tittle
The dot over a lowercase i or j has its own name, it began as a handwriting helper in medieval manuscripts, and it may be hiding inside the phrase to a T.
Fact-based Cosmic Questions
What Is the Smallest Thing You Would Still Call a Hill?
There is no official height at which a bump becomes a hill, and philosophers have a 2,000-year-old name for why that line is so hard to draw.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Lidfaith
(n.) The serene confidence with which you carry a full takeaway cup whose lid you have not actually checked.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Portelude
(n.) The blank half-second at a door you have used a thousand times, in which you have no idea whether it pushes or pulls.