English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It only takes a minute to sign up.

Sign up to join this community
Anybody can ask a question
Anybody can answer
The best answers are voted up and rise to the top

Explore our questions

-1 votes
2 answers
42 views

Is the term "Hot dog" a misnomer? If not, then what makes a term a misnomer?

0 votes
3 answers
399 views

Relationship between the word sodium and the word soda

12 votes
5 answers
1k views

Was "terror" ever a positive thing?

3 votes
1 answer
70 views

How did "phenomenal" come to mean "extraordinary"?

4 votes
2 answers
164 views

Etymology of 'Priscilla' to refer to a type of curtain

7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Etymologically, how did 'outrage' get 're-analyzed'?

2 votes
4 answers
3k views

Why does "put up with" mean "stand, endure"

6 votes
3 answers
1k views

Who coined the term “dummy it”?

7 votes
2 answers
23k views

What exactly does "The guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit." mean?

4 votes
0 answers
48 views

Easier said than done vs. Easier to say than do

18 votes
4 answers
23k views

How did the word "copacetic" come into use?

4 votes
3 answers
6k views

Is there any relation between the meanings of the word "cataract"?

2 votes
2 answers
3k views

"Cooler heads prevail" origin?

4 votes
7 answers
3k views

How was 'hone in on' bastardised to mean 'home in on'?

Browse more Questions