Where does the word meme come from?
In The Selfish Gene (1976) the scientist Richard Dawkins expands the Darwinist concept of natural selection to the realm of ideas.
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Where does the word baseball come from?
The word comes from England, t he country that famously doesn't play modern baseball.
Where does the word Easter come from?
The word Easter is not in the New Testament. Nor does it feature in most translations of the Bible into vernacular languages.
Why do we say 'Good' Friday?
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash It may seem odd that Christians call their day of greatest sorrow Good Friday.
What is a smoking gun? Where does the phrase come from?
A smoking gun is a weapon that has recently been fired.
What is the shortest complete sentence in English?
There are three main candidates for the shortest sentence in the English language.
Why Orwell did not like Esperanto?
Polish linguist and pacifist L.L. Zamenhof invented Esperanto ('hope '), which he believed could be an international lingua franca or second language.
What does Kabuki mean? How is this term used in politics?
Kabuki theatre is a stylised Japanese dance-drama tradition.
Where does the word Halloween come from?
Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash Halloween or All-Hallows-Eve takes place on the night of 31 October in anticipation of All-Hallows-Day (1st November) . It has emerged from a combination of Christian and pagan traditions. Etymology Hallow is the old English word for saint. Halloween is a Scottish variation dating back to the 1700s. The 'een' suffix is a contraction of 'evening'. 'Hallowed evening' or 'holy evening' was later understood to mean eve or 'night before' as with Christmas Eve All Hallows Day is now called All-Saints-Day in the Catholic calendar. It commemorates Christian martyrs All Souls Day follows on 2 November. On All Souls Day Catholics pray for the 'souls of the (faithful) departed'. Photo by Tony J on Unsplash Halloween FAQ - brief history of Halloween customs - free 3 min read Halloween often features in Victorian ghost stories. Read and/or listen to E. Nesbit’s ‘Man-Made-in...
What does inside baseball mean?
Inside baseball is a term popular with political and media analysts.
Where does the word OK come from?
The word OK entered American English in the 19th century and is now one of the most popular in the language. But there is little agreement as to its origins.
Should Elvis have been 'shaken up"?
shake up 1. To upset by or as if by a physical jolt or shock: was badly shaken up by the accident. Source Freedictionary.com
What is a Republican? And a Democrat?
There are only two major political parties in the US; the Republicans & the Democrats. A representative from one or other party has won every presidential election since 1852. Why the names Republican and Democrat? This gets very confusing! The Federalist Party of Alexander Hamilton was opposed by Thomas Jefferson who formed an opposition party in 1792. Jefferson's party developed into the Democratic-Republican Party (1798). This was the forerunner of the modern Democratic Party . The modern Republican Party was founded in the 1850s and key features included opposition to slavery and a support base in the northern states. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, while the pro-slavery southern states were largely Democrat. Where do they stand today? Registered voters in 2004 Broadly speaking, the Democratic Party is left-of-center and the Republican Party right-of-center. The American electorate is divided into these two camps...