Facetious, abstemious, abstentious, arsenious, and arteriosus are the only five words in the English language that contain the vowels a, e, i, o, and u in their proper order.
Fans thought Rod Serling invented the term "Twilight Zone." As a matter of fact, so did Serling. He'd not heard anyone use it before, so he assumed he'd created it. However, after the hit TV show debuted in 1959, Serling was informed that Air Force pilots used the phrase to describe "a moment when a plane is coming down on approach and it cannot see the horizon."
Feline means catlike, bovine means cowlike, and aquiline means eaglelike.
Shakespeare was the first to use certain words that are now common, including "hurry," "bump," "eyeball," and "anchovy."
Someone who is eager or ready to shed blood is “sanguinary.”
Something freckled can be said to be “lentiginous.”
Something that is funny, or is able to or inclined to incite laughter, is "risible."
Something that is of or based on the number twenty is said to be "vigesimal" or "vicenary."
Something that is said to be "therianthropic" is partly human and partly animal in form.
Something that is without teeth can be said to be “edentulous”.
Something that is woody or like wood can be described as "xyloid."
Sunbeams that shine down through clouds are called crepuscular rays.
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu (85 letters long) is the world's second-longest place name. This Maori name of a hill in New Zealand translates as "The Place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed mountains, known as a land-eater, played on the flute to his loved one."
Tennis pro Evonne Goolagong's last name means "kangaroo's nose" in one of Australia's aboriginal languages.
The "snood" is the fleshy projection just above the bill on a turkey.
The "you are here arrow" on a map is called the IDEO locator.
The # symbols is often referred to as a "number sign" or "pound sign." Its actual name is an octothorpe.
The 1960s phrase "flower power" was coined by Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg.
The act of a husband murdering his wife is called "uxoricide."
The act of doing more than what is required or expected is called "supererogation," although there are several earthier phrases often used by jealous co-workers.
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