November 8, 2023

Can You Understand Gen Alpha’s Slang?

Are you a “sigma”? Do you have “rizz”? The youngest generation is bamboozling its elders with terms all their own. Do you know what a gyat […]
January 31, 2022

In Troy Lamarr Chew II's Paintings, a Multilayered Tribute to Hip-Hop

In his latest works, the artist Troy Lamarr Chew II has embedded references to the Bart Simpson, the Shopping Cart and many other familiar moves. Last […]
January 31, 2022

‘Jeuje,’ ‘Zhoosh,’ ‘Zhuzh’: A Word of Many Spellings, and Meanings

Commonly used to describe that extra something added to almost anything, the slang term has a centuries-long history. When you fluff up pillows on your well-worn […]
April 11, 2021

This Is Cringe

Why is everyone suddenly so embarrassed for everyone else? Well, that was awkward. A few weeks ago, a relationship guru named Derrick Jaxn attracted millions of […]
July 7, 2020

What Does Simp Mean?

The word “simp” isn’t new. In fact, it’s pretty old. But it has been dragged into fresh popularity. In the same way that older songs can […]
May 5, 2020

How to Talk About Coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic has upended all kinds of human behavior, including speech. Conversations are mediated by masks and screens, their sentences strung together with new vocabulary: […]