Wordplay

Arts & Culture

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Our maraca shake brings all the hautbois to the yard

Pop Rhetoric: Our Favorites

Rhetorical devices in pop songs

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

You'll love to hate these other words!

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Here's how all this nonsense started

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

Look what you made us do

The Words of the Week - October 4

Lookups from the VP debate, Earth’s orbit, and your smartphone

A Great Big List of Bread Words

Quit loafing around and get that bread (word)

A List of The U.S. Military Ranks in Order

From Private to General of the Army

9 Other Words for Beautiful

Here are some additional words for calling something lovely

What Does 'Eighty-Six' Mean?

We won't refuse you service

10 Better Ways to Say Underwear

Get your knickers in a twist

The Changing Meaning of 'Elope'

Read this before you elope. Or 'elope.'

12 Star Wars Words

Enjoy this listicle, you will

The History of 'Nuclear Family'

Getting at the core of it.

17 Tasty Names of Appetizers

Enjoy. They're complimentary.

Word We're Watching: 'Cap'

And where 'no cap' comes from

When is ‘cuffing season'?

Something to do during the cold, dark months.

A Guide to British Noble Titles

Know your Duchess from your Baroness

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

The acronyms began as telegraph codes

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

And why isn't it 'bury the lead'?

How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

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

11 Words Used to Great Effect by Edgar Allan Poe

The Vocabulary in the Rue Morgue

Has ‘supper’ always meant ‘dinner?'

Your grandmother might answer differently.
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