Words born from epic mistakes and typos
Words named after real, quirky people
Food words with bizarre backstories
Nature and animal word secrets
schopenhauer Pumpernickel
Farting goblin, farting goblin! Yeah, that's what pumpernickel means!
schopenhauer Match fiery Roman clues to discover the wacky origins of our everyday words.
schopenhauer The word whiskey is a translation of a Gaelic term meaning water of life.
Ketchup history: The word 'ketchup' comes from a 17th-century Chinese fish sauce called 'kê-tsiap' which contained absolutely no tomatoes.
schopenhauer Ketchup originated as a 17th-century fermented Chinese fish sauce with no tomatoes.
An item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with a filling between them. In 1762, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, requested this meal to eat during card games.
What ingredient did ancient Romans mix with mustard seeds to create 'mustum ardens'?
Which language group gave us the original phrase 'uisce beatha' for distilled spirits?
The word 'avocado' comes from the Nahuatl word 'ahuacatl', which translates to which body part?
Who is credited with creating the first tomato-based ketchup recipe in America in 1812?
The Gaelic phrase 'uisce beatha', which became the word 'whiskey', literally translates to what?
What was the primary ingredient in the 17th-century Chinese sauce 'kê-tsiap' before it evolved into ketchup?
In which century did Spanish explorers first encounter the Aztec fruit 'ahuacatl' and rename it 'aguacate'?