prorogation / prorogue Prorogation is an arcane parliamentary jargon term meaning the suspension of a session of parliament without formally dissolving it. Prorogation is a commonly used without much public notice in a pro forma manner in the few days leading up to a new session or just prior to parliament’s dissolution
jones The exact origin of jones, meaning an overwhelming yen or craving, is unknown. It obviously refers to the name Jones, but exactly how it arose and developed is uncertain, although its early use is primarily in American Black slang. The first known use of jones in this context is the
pedophile Words in the News is a weekly, paid-subscriber feature of Wordorigins.org. If you’d like to see more, please upgrade your subscription to a paid level. 17 November 2025 Journalist and podcaster Megyn Kelly became the subject of the news this past week when she repeated a claim on
rapture Most people, at least in the United States, are familiar with the word rapture as it relates to the apocalyptic Christian doctrine. But that’s a relatively recent development in theology, starting in the eighteenth century and only picking up steam in the nineteenth, and it is one that is
computer / compute Computer has a rather straightforward etymology, although its original meaning may be a bit surprising. The word was originally applied to people, not machines. And in the modern era before the advent of electronic computers, many of these human computers were women, as calculation was considered mundane and repetitive work,
club sandwich The club sandwich, or club house sandwich, as it is usually prepared today, consists of three slices of bread, between which is layered turkey (or sometimes chicken), ham or bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. It is typically served quartered and held together by cocktail sticks. But why club? How did
butler A butler is the chief servant in a household. The word comes to us from Anglo-Norman, the variety of French spoken in England following the Norman Conquest. The Anglo-Norman word was botiller, a cup-bearer or servant who served wine, recorded from the mid twelfth century. The word ultimately comes from
imp We all know that an imp is a small devil or demon, or somewhat more playfully, a mischievous child. But it was not always so. Would you believe that imp originally meant a shoot of a plant, a sapling? Imp is an old word, dating to Old English, and back
tabby Most of us know that a tabby cat is either a female house cat or one with a striped or brindled coat regardless of its sex. But tabby can also refer to an elderly woman. Where does the word come from? It has a convoluted and somewhat uncertain etymology. The
stiff upper lip Having a stiff upper lip is considered the quintessential British quality of resolution in the face of adversity. But surprisingly, the phrase itself is an American import. The earliest use of the phrase that I’m aware of appears in a 6 November 1811 report on U.S. Congressional action,
hoax / hocus The word hoax first appears in the mid eighteenth century as a verb meaning to ridicule. It evidently was current in university slang for several decades before seeing its way into print. The earliest example I have found is in a poem written by a student at Oxford c. 1750
Gaza 30 October 2025 Gaza is the name of a city on the Mediterranean coast in Palestine, bordering Egypt and Israel. The name, in the form Gaza Strip, is also applied to the surrounding territory, which along with the West Bank constitute the current Palestinian territory. The city is often called
