Lots of foods are named for what happens to them. Mozzarella comes from an Italian word that means “cut,” feta cheese takes its name from a Greek word meaning the same thing, and schnitzel derives from a German word that also means...
When an Austrian candy maker needed a name for his new line of mints, he took the first, middle, and last letters of the German word pfefferminz, or “peppermint,” to form the brand name PEZ. He later marketed the candies as an...
Chickens give more than eggs, meat, and feathers—they give language!
flugtag n.— «More than 30 human-powered aircraft designs will take part in Red Bull’s Flugtag competition on Aug. 3, behind the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau. It’s part air-show spectacle and part Jackass stunt. Flugtag is a...
The German word über has found a place in American English. A New Jersey man says he and his colleagues find it to be more versatile than a Swiss Army knife, as in, “He is uber in the middle of that situation,” “That was an uber...
Googleganger n.— Note: From the German word “doppelgänger,” meaning a look-alike or a double of a person. «It was an honest mistake: Eve’s name kept showing up on X-rated sites when her mother Googled it to keep tabs on her...