BrainCan - interesting words

smartphone vs smart phone

A smartphone is a mobile phone that not only functions as a telephone but also as a miniature...

donnybrook

The word donnybrook is a bit of an mature-fashioned word,but is still occasionally used,...

geronimo!

Yelling Geronimo! when jumping from a tall place is a well known tradition in the United States....

besotted

Besotted means extremely infatuated,obsessed with, doting. Originally, and besotted meant...

rambunctious

Rambunctious (unruly) means overly exuberant,unruly, extremely boisterous. Rambunctious (unruly) is...

blooper

A blooper is an error,a mistake. For the most allotment, blooper refers to a mistake that an actor...

tmesis

Tmesis is an spellbinding word that is seldom used,though most of us believe used a tmesis, or at...

picayune

Picayune is a word that is primarily used in North America,with an interesting origin. We will...

scofflaw

A scofflaw (lawbreaker) is someone who flouts breaking the law,especially liquor laws, tax laws and...

lickety split

Lickety-split means at once,right absent, immediately. Lickety-split is an American phrase, and...

jitney

Jitney is an American word that first appeared in the early twentieth century. We will examine the...

sunday driver

The term Sunday driver is derived from a practice that for the most allotment,has fallen to the...

ear candy and eye candy

The words ear candy and eye candy are twentieth century inventions,though the possible source of...

taser

A taser is a non-deadly weapon that fires probes in order to deliver a debilitating,but not fatal,...

nitpick

To nitpick means to complain or criticize something or someone over insignificant details. Nitpick...

toss up

A toss-up is a situation that could go either way,a situation in which two different outcomes seem...

road kill or roadkill

Road kill is a relatively modern term that was coined for a phenomenon that is fairly recent in the...

milquetoast vs milktoast

A milquetoast is a person who is skittish,unassuming, timid, and feeble. Milquetoast is mainly an...

pig latin

Pig Latin is not a true language,it is a game in which the beginning consonant or consonant sound of...

chick flick and chick lit

A chick flick is a motion picture that appeals mainly to women by advantage of its theme,plot and...

excelsior and wood wool

Excelsior means higher,better, superior. Excelsior is derived from the Latin word excelsus, and...

quicksilver

Quicksilver is a word with a literal meaning which has mostly fallen out of favor,as well as a...

op ed

Op-ed is an American term that is an abbreviation of two words,though the words involved may...

greenhorn vs tinhorn

Greenhorn and tinhorn are two words that are considered American English by the Oxford English...

leotard vs tights

A leotard is a tightly-fitted article of clothing made of stretchy fabric that covers from the...

doublethink, doublespeak or double talk

Doublethink is the ability to accept two conflicting beliefs,opinions, or facts as valid and right,...

chicanery

Chicanery means using trickery or deception to achieve a goal,particularly using verbal trickery or...

dibs and calling dibs

Dibs is a word used when laying claim to something. Calling dibs on something is an assertion of...

malarkey

Malarkey means silly talk,nonsense. Malarkey, sometimes spelled as malarky, or is an American word....

jackpot

A jackpot is the large prize won in a game of chance,particularly one that grows until it is won....

idiot savant or savant syndrome

The terms idiot savant and savant syndrome are psychological terms that refer to the same...

loophole

The word loophole is commonly used,especially in regards to tax law. Few people know the origin of...

antifa

Antifa is a word that originated in the time before World War II,but has enjoyed a surge in usage...

ornery

Ornery is an American word that can sometimes be confusing. We will examine the meaning of the word...

screwball

Screwball is primarily an American term,though its origins actually date to the early 1800s in...

bechdel test and bechdel wallace test

The Bechdel test is a term that was coined in the mid-1980s. It is sometimes referred to as the...

spoonerism vs malapropism

A spoonerism is a verbal mistake in which the initial consonant sounds of two words are...

hootenanny

A hootenanny is an casual gathering where folk music is played in a party-like atmosphere. The word...

cyberspace

Cyberspace is the interconnected area of electronic communication. Cyberspace is where virtual...

car hood and car bonnet

A car hood is the metal part that covers the engine of an automobile. The term car hood is a North...

worrywart and worryguts

A worrywart is a person who unduly dwells upon the opportunity of trouble or difficulties....

kaleidoscope

A kaleidoscope is a device made up of a tube,mirrors and colored bits of glass, paper or plastic...

bivouac

A bivouac is a temporary camp,usually a camp without tents or other shelter, which is intended for...

pentagon

The word pentagon may be rendered with a lowercase p or an uppercase P. Capitalizing or not...

goober

Goober is an American word with several meanings. We will examine the definition of the word...

lukewarm

Lukewarm is a word that dates back to the fourteenth century. We will examine the definition of the...

hobo, tramp, bum, or gutter punk

A hobo is someone who travels,picking up the odd job here and there. Hobo is a term used primarily...

caucus

A caucus is a a group of supporters of a political group or members of a political group who combine...

nerd, dork or geek

A nerd is someone who is obsessed with something specific to an annoying degree,a nerd has poor...

pin money

Pin money is a term that has had an entertaining evolution in meaning. We will examine the...

humdinger

Humdinger is a word that first appeared in the latter half of the nineteenth century. We will...

punch list

A punch list is an accounting of incomplete or poorly executed items on a construction project. Near...

interrobang and interabang

An interrobang is a punctuation effect that consists of an exclamation point and a question effect...

adam s apple

An Adam’s apple is the projection at the front of a human neck comprised of the thyroid cartilage...

chock a block vs chockablock

Chock-a-block means crammed full,filled to capacity with people or things. The term chock-a-block...

scuba

Scuba is an aqualung,an apparatus containing compressed air that allows a diver to breathe...

pleather and naugahyde

Pleather is artificial leather made from polyvinyl chloride. The word pleather is a portmanteau of...

bain marie vs double boiler

A bain-marie is a cooking container filled with water in which another pan or dish is placed in...

skort

A skort is a pair of shorts with a fabric panel in the front to give the appearance of a skirt. A...

interesting words

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