Wordorigins.org Newsletter
  • Home
  • About
Sign in Subscribe

truthiness (paid)

  • Dave Wilton

Dave Wilton

14 Mar 2025 • 3 min read
Still image of Stephen Colbert sitting behind a desk with a Chyron that reads, “The Wørd: Truthiness”

This post is for paying subscribers only

Subscribe now

Already have an account? Sign in

B&W photo of 5 young men measuring the length of a bridge by having one of them lie down while the others mark the distance
Paid-members only

smoot (paid)

19 Nov 2025 1 min read
B&W photo of a Bayer medicine bottle labeled “Heroin”

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
19 Nov 2025 2 min read
B&W photo of two men looking out the window of a airliner cockpit, one in a pilot’s uniform, the other holding a pistol
Paid-members only

terror / terrorism / terrorist (paid)

17 Nov 2025 6 min read
Wordorigins.org Newsletter © 2025
  • Sign up
Powered by Ghost