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Word History

The History of 'Cynic'

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.


How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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What is a Malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

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Pictures in the Dictionary

 

The story of those iconic illustrations.

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How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

 

An imaginary word that snuck into the dictionary

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How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'

 

A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)

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There, They're, Their

 

There, there. We'll sort it out.

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Affect vs. Effect

 

Here's the lowdown on what may be the most confusing pair of words in the English language.