Nothing speaks to authentic medieval culture than the words “ye olde.” If you see those words as part of the name of an establishment, you know it is a place steeped in […]
Ye Olde Way of Speaking Old English Wasn’t That Way
Do You Have a Case of Mulligrubs?
Do you know someone who has a case of mulligrubs? No, it’s not a bushel of strange worms. It isn’t a gross rash resulting from poor hygiene, either.
Try To Tame The Tongue To Test Testy Tongue Twisters
Tongue-twisters are phrases designed to trip up even the most skilled orator. As we already reported in an earlier article, “Pad kid poured curd pulled cod” is said by speech experts to […]
We Don’t Have the Word, But We All Know Someone To Whom it Applies
Backpfeifengesicht is a German word referring to a face badly in need of a fist.
The Weird, Wonderful, Wacky, and Whimsical Writings of Sir Thomas Urquhart
Certain historical figures are worth studying for the sheer entertainment value. Near the top of that list would be Sir Thomas Urquhart, the Scottish author of the 17th century. What can we […]
The Sounds Animals Make Depend on the Language You Speak
Philosophers have long pondered whether a tree makes any sound if it falls and there is no one around to hear it. A more appropriate question might be what sound it would […]
Contemplate the Variegated Cancerous Concoctions of the Asphyxiating Snare in the Escalating Venality of a 19-Year-Long Court Case
Charles Dickens’ novel Bleak House introduced the world to the never-ending legal saga of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. In Dickens’ uniquely-descriptive words: Jarndyce and Jarndyce drones on. This scarecrow of a suit has, […]
Are You Afraid of Opinions? You May Have Allodoxaphobia
Do you suffer from allodoxaphobia? If so, you’d better stay away from social media. For that matter, it would be best to avoid conversations with anyone about anything. Allodoxaphobia is a fear […]
Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of Disdain
A common word of warning for those who might be inclined to argue with someone who writes or edits a newspaper is, “Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink […]
How Many Ways Can You Spell ‘Scissors’?
How many ways are there to spell the word scissors? Even accounting for typical misspellings, we were hard-pressed to come up with more than four variations. Fortunately, there is a better authority […]
Take a Page From the Book With the Longest Title
We have already delved into the longest sentence ever published in a book, the beloved children’s book written in response to a bet, and the shortest poem on record. Oddly, we have […]
Have You Ever Felt a Tartle?
Have you ever started to introduce someone, only to have a moment of panic as your brain freezes and you can’t remember that person’s name? Thanks to the people of Scotland, you […]
The Disturbing and Decidedly-Unromantic Origin of the Honeymoon
Today, the concept of a honeymoon is completely wonderful. The newly-married couple gets away for a few days of romantic bliss, making sure that their life-long commitment begins on a happy note. […]
Can You Decode The Message Designed to Tell Aliens All About Humanity?
Assuming you are a person of reasonable intelligence, (actually, since you are a reader of Commonplace Fun Facts, we assume you are a person of extraordinary intelligence), what would you make of […]
What English Word Holds the Record for the Most Definitions?
The English language is robustly filled with many homonyms — words that have multiple meanings. The word bark can refer to the outer covering of a tree as well as the sound […]
