User Laurel

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What is the historical origin for the naming of the word 'function' in its mathematical context?

answered Jun 18, 2017 at 12:24

15 votes

What do you call a confusing license plate number?

answered Oct 11, 2017 at 18:23

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What's the origin of the second-person 'we'?

answered Aug 23, 2018 at 3:07

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A word sounding like "weatherall" to refer to "someone who doesn’t have the courage"

answered Nov 1, 2018 at 6:58

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Does anyone have a good idiom for when someone asks you to guess what they are doing/thinking but you are not interested in making an effort to guess?

answered Oct 11, 2018 at 2:44

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What is the history of "may" being used to mean "must"?

answered Mar 26, 2020 at 16:21

15 votes

Is there a heavy usage of the word "bonfire" in English?

answered Nov 13, 2019 at 21:37

15 votes

"Rubric" as meaning "signature" or "personal mark" -- is this accepted usage?

answered Apr 24, 2019 at 18:23

14 votes

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What is the first mention/use of the word "America" in print in an English written/translated source

answered Sep 3, 2020 at 16:33

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What do we call the stream-like leftovers of water sticking to a glass surface?

answered Mar 6, 2021 at 16:45

14 votes

What is an English equivalent of 'Colorín, Colorado, este cuento se ha acabado,' a phrase used at the end of stories?

answered Jul 21, 2023 at 3:28

14 votes

Alternatives to y'all?

answered Jan 12, 2019 at 6:05

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Origin of “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”

answered Jul 24, 2018 at 21:44

13 votes

Word to use when you don't understand a sport or video-game language

answered Sep 16, 2018 at 3:47

13 votes

How and when did 'being fired' come to mean losing one's job?

answered Feb 12, 2019 at 1:14

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When 'we' refers only to other people

answered Jan 1, 2018 at 22:42

13 votes

American equivalent of "Flabbergasted"

answered Mar 2, 2018 at 19:56

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Different usage between 'A First Generation' and 'A Second Generation' American

answered Jun 6, 2022 at 0:39

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Were clothes called "loud" because they actually made a noise?

answered Oct 4, 2020 at 11:54

13 votes

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What is the origin of "blink" meaning short-range teleporation?

answered Sep 29, 2019 at 2:31

12 votes

What is it called when you call someone on the phone over and over again?

answered Jan 20, 2022 at 2:21

12 votes

Why is it "argument" instead of "arguement"?

answered Mar 12, 2018 at 23:16

12 votes

When is the earliest usage of 'woke' and 'wokeness' in their meaning of awareness of social injustice?

answered Dec 19, 2017 at 18:43

12 votes

Idiomatic Expression that basically says "What's bad for you is good for me"

answered Dec 5, 2016 at 23:40

12 votes

What is a trans step-parent called?

answered Oct 5, 2016 at 3:04

12 votes

Why is embassy spelled with E but ambassador with A?

answered Nov 26, 2018 at 7:29

12 votes

Does English have digraph GN that does not come from Norman (Old French)?

answered Oct 6, 2018 at 17:20

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In the phrase "the scales have fallen from my eyes" why did they use the word "scales"?

answered Sep 6, 2018 at 15:39

12 votes

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“In” (the works of) a poet

answered Aug 24, 2018 at 2:19

11 votes

Origin of "It's a fair cop"

answered Sep 25, 2018 at 18:29

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1,002 Answers

What is the historical origin for the naming of the word 'function' in its mathematical context?

What do you call a confusing license plate number?

What's the origin of the second-person 'we'?

A word sounding like "weatherall" to refer to "someone who doesn’t have the courage"

Does anyone have a good idiom for when someone asks you to guess what they are doing/thinking but you are not interested in making an effort to guess?

What is the history of "may" being used to mean "must"?

Is there a heavy usage of the word "bonfire" in English?

"Rubric" as meaning "signature" or "personal mark" -- is this accepted usage?

What is the first mention/use of the word "America" in print in an English written/translated source

What do we call the stream-like leftovers of water sticking to a glass surface?

What is an English equivalent of 'Colorín, Colorado, este cuento se ha acabado,' a phrase used at the end of stories?

Alternatives to y'all?

Origin of “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”

Word to use when you don't understand a sport or video-game language

How and when did 'being fired' come to mean losing one's job?

When 'we' refers only to other people

American equivalent of "Flabbergasted"

Different usage between 'A First Generation' and 'A Second Generation' American

Were clothes called "loud" because they actually made a noise?

What is the origin of "blink" meaning short-range teleporation?

What is it called when you call someone on the phone over and over again?

Why is it "argument" instead of "arguement"?

When is the earliest usage of 'woke' and 'wokeness' in their meaning of awareness of social injustice?

Idiomatic Expression that basically says "What's bad for you is good for me"

What is a trans step-parent called?

Why is embassy spelled with E but ambassador with A?

Does English have digraph GN that does not come from Norman (Old French)?

In the phrase "the scales have fallen from my eyes" why did they use the word "scales"?

“In” (the works of) a poet

Origin of "It's a fair cop"