Topic : Word OriginsWord RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexiconThe Colorful Origin Stories of "Gringo" August 25, 2015
For the Slate podcast Lexicon Valley, I delve into the many stories surrounding the origins of the word gringo, an epithet used by Latin Americans for foreign speakers, typically American Anglophones. Though a great deal of vivid folklore surrounds the word, its actual etymology is just as interesting.
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Article Topics:Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexiconHow Did We Get the "Heebie-Jeebies"? July 29, 2015 By Ben Zimmer
For Slate's podcast Lexicon Valley, I look at the origins of an expression that turns nervousness and apprehension into a jokey malady: the heebie-jeebies. It turns out we can pin down not just the coiner but the very day that he coined the word.
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Article Topics:Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexiconIs "Southpaw" from Boxing or Baseball? July 24, 2015 By Ben Zimmer
With the boxing movie "Southpaw" opening, it's a good time to ponder where the term "southpaw" came from as an epithet for a left-hander. Baseball and boxing have both used the term for a long time to label lefty athletes, but which came first?
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July 11, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the first musical use of the word jazz. To celebrate, we've put together a list of vocabulary from quotes about what Jazz is as an art form and what it has meant in the lives of those quoted, as well as links to the story of jazz's origin.
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Article Topics:Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexiconIf It's "All Greek To You," Blame Monks And Shakespeare July 6, 2015 By Ben Zimmer
The news coming out of Greece these days can be downright perplexing, leading many in the news media to recycle the old phrase, "It's all Greek to me." I talked to NPR's Weekend All Things Considered about the origin of the expression.
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Article Topics:Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexiconWhere Does "Bozo" Come From? Let's Not Clown Around! June 30, 2015 By Ben Zimmer
For my latest appearance on the Slate podcast Lexicon Valley, I take a look at the clownish roots of the word bozo. While the image of TV's Bozo the Clown is familiar to many generations of American youth, how did Bozo get his name in the first place? The answer may lie in vaudeville.
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Article Topics:Behind the DictionaryLexicographers Talk About LanguageCall it "Balmy" or "Sweltering," Summer (and Summer Words) are Here June 19, 2015 By Adam Cooper
Sunday is the longest day of the year and the official start to summer. To get ready, we're taking a look at the words and terms enshrined in our language that capture our collective experience of the summer season — trotted out once again like the shorts and sandals we've been waiting all winter to wear again.
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