Wordplay

Arts & Culture (page 2)

10 Words for Food with Unfortunate Names

All of them may be delicious, but one is offal

7 Words from Political Scandals

Behind the smoke-filled rooms

9 Other Words for Beautiful

Here are some additional words for calling something lovely

Top Banana, Kingpin, and Other Nicknames for Important People

Big wigs, big enchiladas, and big shots

If You Like to Complain About 'Decimate'...

You'll love to hate these other words!

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms

24 down-home turns of phrase

17 Tasty Names of Appetizers

Enjoy. They're complimentary.

10 Phrases from Shakespeare

Where the "wild goose chase" comes from

11 Words Used to Great Effect by Edgar Allan Poe

The Vocabulary in the Rue Morgue

Pop Rhetoric: Our Favorites

Rhetorical devices in pop songs

What does 'eighty-six' mean?

We won't refuse you service

The History of 'Wag the Dog'

Making a big show about it

When is ‘cuffing season'?

Something to do during the cold, dark months.

The History of 'Nuclear Family'

Getting at the core of it.

The Left Hand of (Supposed) Darkness

It depends on what side you're coming from.

The History of 'Meme'

Meme isn't new, it dates back to the 1970s

12 Words and Phrases for Romantic Relationships

This list warms the cockles of our hearts

The Hilarious History of 'OK'

English's most successful export

Has ‘supper’ always meant ‘dinner?'

Your grandmother might answer differently.

A Guide to British Noble Titles

Know your Duchess from your Baroness

10 Words Conjuring Hell and the Devil

Going beyond the fire and brimstone

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Here's how all this nonsense started

9 Financial Words With Surprising Origins

In the beginning, 'income' simply meant "coming in"

8 Words and Phrases from U.S. Presidents

How to sound presidential

Why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?

The answer to one of life's big questions

'Dumbledore', 'Hippogriff', and 11 More Real Words from Harry Potter

Muggles welcome.

The History of 'Bull' and 'Bear' Markets

Which came first?

Where does the expression 'throw someone under the bus' come from?

Let's blame the British

What's the political meaning of 'dog whistle'?

Can you hear me now?

The Changing Meaning of 'Elope'

Read this before you elope. Or 'elope.'

Where does the phrase 'barn burner' come from?

This one's pretty exciting

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

The acronyms began as telegraph codes

How 'Mardi Gras' Got Its Name

Quick: eat everything in the house.

Why Jaywalking is Called Jaywalking

The shape of the letter J has nothing to do with it

Heroin, Granola, & More: Products That Became Words

Top 10 Words from Trademarks

Bait and Switch: 10 Misleading Words for Foods

There's a reason 'mountain oysters' aren't on the seafood menu, friend

How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

The Words of the Week - May 22

Lookups from education, health, and ancient dentistry

The Words of the Week - May 15

Lookups from graduation ceremonies, wooded swamps, and Mother’s Day

The Words of the Week - May 8

Lookups from war, holidays, and Alcatraz

The Words of the Week - May 1

Lookups from a royal visit, restaurant lingo, and fishy research

The Words of the Week - Apr. 24

Lookups from archaeology, elections, and Scandinavian mythology

The Words of the Week - Apr. 17

Lookups from Artemis II, New York City, and the Strait of Hormuz

The Words of the Week - Apr. 10

Lookups from politics, literature, and the line between darkness and light

The Words of the Week - Apr. 3

Lookups from holidays, lunar missions, and the Supreme Court

The Words of the Week - Mar. 27

Lookups from social media, geology, and the equinox

The Words of the Week - Mar. 20

Lookups from war, memorials, and the night sky

The Words of the Week - Mar. 13

Lookups from war, weather, and waterways

The Words of the Week - Mar. 6

Lookups from Iran, Florida, and college basketball

The Words of the Week - Feb. 27

Lookups from art, Mexico, and the Blizzard of ‘26

The Words of the Week - Feb. 20

Lookups from the Winter Olympics, Islam, and the Sierra Nevadas

The Words of the Week - Feb. 13

Lookups from the Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the Epstein files

Whither 'Wuthering'?: 12 Words from Wuthering Heights

12 words used by Emily Brontë in her 1847 novel

The Words of the Week - Feb. 6

Lookups from Punxsutawney, the Vatican, and Hollywood

The Words of the Week - Jan. 30

Lookups from Venezuela, Minneapolis, and Winter Storm Fern

The Words of the Week - Jan. 23

Lookups from national holidays, solar storms, and Davos

The Words of the Week - Jan. 16

Lookups from music, Minnesota, and the Pacific

The Words of the Week - Jan. 9

Lookups from Venezuela, fast food, and social media

The Words of the Week - Jan. 2

Lookups from holidays, New York City, and Switzerland

The Words of the Week - Dec. 26

Lookups from the holidays, the media, and the Internet

The Words of the Week - Dec. 19

Lookups from Hanukkah, Australia, and evolution

2025 Word of the Year: Slop

Merriam-Webster's 2025 Word of the Year is 'Slop'

The Words of the Week - Dec. 12

Lookups from yuletide, typefaces, and megamergers

The Words of the Week - Dec. 5

Lookups from social media, Southeast Asia, and the bayou

The Words of the Week - Nov. 28

Lookups from music, geography, and turkey

The Words of the Week - Nov. 21

Lookups from federal court, numismatics, and the night sky

The Words of the Week - Nov. 14

Lookups from textiles, the night sky, and Veterans Day

The Words of the Week - Nov. 7

Lookups from election day, Los Angeles, and the theater

The Words of the Week - Oct. 31

Lookups from Jamaica, Halloween, and the World Series

The Words of the Week - Oct. 24

Lookups from Paris, the White House, and our day and age

The Words of the Week - Oct. 17

Lookups from baseball, R&B, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The Words of the Week - Oct. 10

Lookups from calligraphy, Sweden, and the Mediterranean

The Words of the Week - Oct. 3

Lookups from lexicography, federal court, and Washington D.C.

The Words of the Week - Sept. 26

Lookups from autumn, Mars, and Fat Bear Week

The Words of the Week - Sept. 19

Lookups from the UN, the White House press pool, and the syllabus

8 Real (and Perceived) Redundant Words

This article’s got a little something something for everyone.

The Words of the Week - Sept. 12

Lookups from a scandal, Utah, and Brazil

How 7 Fruits and Veggies Got Their Names

Spoiler alert: dragon fruit doesn't come from dragons

The Words of the Week - Sept. 5

Lookups from Los Angeles, Lisbon, and Washington, D.C.

The Words of the Week - Aug. 29

Lookups from weather, court, and entertainment

The Words of the Week - Aug. 22

Lookups from music, the weather, and technology

The Words of the Week - Aug. 15

Lookups from Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.

The Words of the Week - Aug. 8

Lookups from Texas, Major League Baseball, and bats

The Words of the Week - Aug. 1

Lookups from weather, politics, and advertising

The Words of the Week - July 25

Lookups from politics, professional wrestling, and music

The Words of the Week - July 18

Lookups from social media, the weather, and New Zealand

The Words of the Week - July 11

Lookups from Texas, social media, and the Cretaceous

The Words of the Week - July 4

Lookups from economics, the Senate, and the Fourth of July

The Words of the Week - June 27

Lookups from the weather, Iran, and New York City

The Words of the Week - June 20

Lookups from Juneteenth, politics, and Matagorda Bay

The Words of the Week - June 13

Lookups from Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and music

The Words of the Week - June 6

Lookups from Italy, social media, and the Scripps National Spelling Bee

It's Lit

An old slang word made new again

93 Common Texting Abbreviations

Common texting and messaging abbreviations

What does 'yeet' mean?

Tossing some knowledge your way

The Words of the Week - May 30

Lookups from Memorial Day, cryptocurrency, and the White House

The Words of the Week - May 23

Lookups from the White House, Capitol Hill, and Tompkins Square Park

The Words of the Week - May 16

Lookups from Mother’s Day, the White House, and the garden

The Words of the Week - May 9

Lookups from the Met Gala, the Kentucky Derby, and the Sistine Chapel

The Words of the Week - May 2

Lookups from the courts, Canada, and Amphibia

The Words of the Week - Apr. 25

Lookups from social media, deep space, and the Vatican

The Words of the Week - Apr. 18

Lookups from law, the economy, and the edge of space

The Words of the Week - Apr. 11

Lookups from Wall Street, Main Street, and politics

The Words of the Week - Apr. 4

Lookups from France, the Senate, and Saturday Night Live

The Words of the Week - Mar. 28

Lookups from politics and government

The Words of the Week - Mar. 21

Lookups from weather, government, and St. Patrick’s Day

The Words of the Week - Mar. 14

Lookups from the federal government, the North Sea, and the New York Times

The Words of the Week - Mar. 7

Lookups from New Orleans and Washington D.C.
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