Wordcels Puzzle celebrates the words and expressions that have infused American English. Each day an expression is featured giving its meaning, history and showing its ties to culture and the moments that made the expression stick as part of the language.
Even for native speakers there may be one expression each day that is new and worth learning. Some expressions that are old hat, may have an interesting history, like this one. Each day, one expression is the featured expression of the day.
Body double is a performer hired to stand in for an actor during nudity, dangero...
The word fortnight comes from the Old English phrase fēowertīene niht, meaning ‘...
Compound bow is an archery weapon using cables and pulleys (called cams) to bend...
Fast track is the accelerated path to success—but the term started in horse raci...
The expression originated in the mid-16th century when it meant the ‘larger port...
Piggyback has nothing to do with pigs. The word originally meant to carry someon...
Jean Harlow is widely considered the first woman to be called a ‘bombshell’. She...