What does a bathroom sign tell us about the history of English?  Continue reading...

How a Yiddish word with Hebrew roots became a ubiquitous American brand name, backronym, and even a baby name.  Continue reading...

Street names can situate us in geography, history, politics, and culture. But they may be replaced by new systems of wayfinding.  Continue reading...

An acronym. A place name. A Beatles lyric. A Biblical phrase. The titles of this year's Best Picture nominees tell stories of their own.  Continue reading...

When is a steak not a steak? When is butter not a substance churned from an animal's mammary secretions? What do you call an egg that comes before — and beyond — a chicken?  Continue reading...

Normcore, goblincore, cottagecore, gorpcore: one hard-working suffix turns any style preference into a named trend.  Continue reading...