User Sven Yargs - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

39 votes

6 answers

17k views

The intensifier 'pure D': where and when did it originate, and what does the D stand for?

asked Nov 2, 2016 at 19:26

25 votes

4 answers

112k views

"Smooths" versus "Smoothes"

asked Feb 8, 2013 at 4:32

24 votes

2 answers

12k views

Did ‘alakazam’ magically appear out of the thin air?

asked May 2, 2015 at 22:45

18 votes

5 answers

10k views

Why does "blue blazes" specify the color blue, and what is the origin of this expression as an intensifier/euphemism?

asked Apr 5, 2020 at 21:09

17 votes

4 answers

5k views

Etymological origin and earliest recorded occurrence of 'saunter' in English

asked May 4, 2021 at 19:11

17 votes

4 answers

6k views

What is the source of "Long time no see," and when did it enter U.S. English?

asked Feb 15, 2013 at 5:46

16 votes

3 answers

45k views

"Suspect" versus "Suspicious" as Adjectives

asked Feb 11, 2013 at 5:45

16 votes

8 answers

12k views

Do brides in church weddings go up the aisle toward the altar or down the aisle toward the altar?

asked Jan 17, 2015 at 9:33

16 votes

2 answers

866 views

Odd possessive form of a proper name: Why does Dryden write “Lord Nonsuch his” instead of “Lord Nonsuch’s” but “Bibber’s” instead of “Bibber his”?

asked Dec 9, 2014 at 4:03

15 votes

3 answers

4k views

Source of 'BB' in the sense of 'small, spherical pellet of shot'

asked Nov 14, 2015 at 20:03

15 votes

8 answers

19k views

Origin, meaning, and derivation of 'boof' as a verb in U.S. slang

asked Sep 28, 2018 at 18:58

14 votes

4 answers

2k views

Origin of figurative use of 'ugly American' in the pejorative sense of 'ignorant, arrogant U.S. citizen abroad'

asked Jun 13, 2018 at 21:28

13 votes

2 answers

8k views

Why is the surname Gray more common than the surname Grey in the UK?

asked Sep 1, 2014 at 9:02

12 votes

2 answers

5k views

Why does a Cheshire cat grin, and how long has it been doing so?

asked Feb 2, 2015 at 23:10

12 votes

2 answers

1k views

Origins of the 'editorial we' and its counterpart, the 'editorial I'

asked Jun 24, 2018 at 23:38

12 votes

6 answers

3k views

Where did "a racist bone in [one's] body" and "a mean bone in [one's] body" come from?

asked Jul 16, 2019 at 23:13

11 votes

4 answers

47k views

Is “month year” or “month, year” the more common form of punctuation in print publishing?

asked Dec 23, 2017 at 22:54

11 votes

4 answers

2k views

Source and meaning of the proverb “Milk says to wine, Welcome friend”

asked Feb 23, 2015 at 5:38

11 votes

5 answers

4k views

Meaning and origin of "put a wrinkle on one's horn"

asked Oct 30, 2014 at 19:32

11 votes

7 answers

7k views

Etymology of 'Pizzazz'

asked Mar 1, 2013 at 21:41

11 votes

6 answers

10k views

Original Meaning and Derivation of "Ever and Anon"

asked Mar 6, 2013 at 22:18

11 votes

2 answers

3k views

Beggars on Horseback

asked May 28, 2013 at 18:29

10 votes

2 answers

913 views

Origin of the term 'truther' as applied to conspiracy theorists

asked Jan 8, 2016 at 2:23

10 votes

3 answers

3k views

When and where did 'bulldozer' originate, what did it originally apply to, and how did it come to refer to earth-moving machinery?

asked Oct 26, 2020 at 8:14

9 votes

3 answers

2k views

When and why did "the Dutch act" emerge as a slang term for suicide?

asked Feb 15, 2021 at 10:13

9 votes

4 answers

9k views

What is the origin and sense of the phrase “put up or shut up”?

asked Sep 28, 2014 at 1:46

8 votes

4 answers

13k views

Origin of 'the new normal' as a freestanding phrase

asked Dec 16, 2014 at 6:34

8 votes

3 answers

77k views

Function of "too" in the phrase "so too" or "so, too,"

asked Jul 17, 2013 at 19:30

8 votes

3 answers

1k views

Use of “well” to signal a pseudo-awkward pause before an impending word repetition or pun

asked Aug 4, 2014 at 21:57

8 votes

3 answers

2k views

When did a mother giving birth become the deliverer instead of the deliveree?

asked Aug 23, 2014 at 1:25

Stack Exchange Network

71 Questions

The intensifier 'pure D': where and when did it originate, and what does the D stand for?

"Smooths" versus "Smoothes"

Did ‘alakazam’ magically appear out of the thin air?

Why does "blue blazes" specify the color blue, and what is the origin of this expression as an intensifier/euphemism?

Etymological origin and earliest recorded occurrence of 'saunter' in English

What is the source of "Long time no see," and when did it enter U.S. English?

"Suspect" versus "Suspicious" as Adjectives

Do brides in church weddings go up the aisle toward the altar or down the aisle toward the altar?

Odd possessive form of a proper name: Why does Dryden write “Lord Nonsuch his” instead of “Lord Nonsuch’s” but “Bibber’s” instead of “Bibber his”?

Source of 'BB' in the sense of 'small, spherical pellet of shot'

Origin, meaning, and derivation of 'boof' as a verb in U.S. slang

Origin of figurative use of 'ugly American' in the pejorative sense of 'ignorant, arrogant U.S. citizen abroad'

Why is the surname Gray more common than the surname Grey in the UK?

Why does a Cheshire cat grin, and how long has it been doing so?

Origins of the 'editorial we' and its counterpart, the 'editorial I'

Where did "a racist bone in [one's] body" and "a mean bone in [one's] body" come from?

Is “month year” or “month, year” the more common form of punctuation in print publishing?

Source and meaning of the proverb “Milk says to wine, Welcome friend”

Meaning and origin of "put a wrinkle on one's horn"

Etymology of 'Pizzazz'

Original Meaning and Derivation of "Ever and Anon"

Beggars on Horseback

Origin of the term 'truther' as applied to conspiracy theorists

When and where did 'bulldozer' originate, what did it originally apply to, and how did it come to refer to earth-moving machinery?

When and why did "the Dutch act" emerge as a slang term for suicide?

What is the origin and sense of the phrase “put up or shut up”?

Origin of 'the new normal' as a freestanding phrase

Function of "too" in the phrase "so too" or "so, too,"

Use of “well” to signal a pseudo-awkward pause before an impending word repetition or pun

When did a mother giving birth become the deliverer instead of the deliveree?