I'd never heard of the word "mondo" until this interview with Irish author Patrick McCabe 20 years ago. Does anyone remember the mondo mo...

tha·las·so·pho·bia: Fear of the ocean. Thalassophobia doesn't necessarily restrict itself to oceans; Thalassa actually means "sea" in Gre...

noun pet·​ro·​glyph | \ ˈpe-trə-ˌglif \ Definition of petroglyph : a carving or inscription on a rock It’s strange to think I would never...

rev·er·ie /ˈrev(ə)rē/ Noun: a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream. I’m out for a winter’s walk. The road is icy,...

/ˌserənˈdipədē/ noun 1. the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. "a fortunate stroke of serendipi...

Antiquing [an-teek-ing] verb (used with object), an·tiqued, an·ti·quing. to make or finish (something, especially furniture) in imitation...

interjection gar·​dy·​loo | \ ˌgär-dē-ˈlü \ Definition of gardyloo n Used by people in medieval Scotland to warn passers-by of waste abo...

I've been volunteering on a community engagement committee to raise awareness about human sex trafficking in Waterloo Region. The Waterlo...

shiv·a·ree SHivəˈrē/ Noun 1. a noisy mock serenade performed by a group of people to celebrate a marriage or mock an unpopular person. "t...

NOUN mass noun Pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. Origin German Schadenfreude, from Schaden ‘harm’ + Freude ‘j...

adjective UK ​ /ɪnˈsɪd.i.əs/ US ​ /ɪnˈsɪd.i.əs/ (of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm: High blood pr...

I know a lot of people watched the slow demolition of the Trinity United Church building on Frederick Street in Kitchener, as I did. Whet...

Chiefly British Informal. A situation, especially in politics, in which poor judgment results in disorder or chaos with potentially disas...

I came across a set of linguistic maps on Facebook recently. They’re maps of Canada – there are 23 of them highlighting the regional vari...

I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions. I think they’re shortlived, sometimes counter-productive, and can lead to an awful lot of guilt....

Coddiwomple (v.) To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination Let’s coddiwomple over to the river or market. “Pack your b...

This morning I heard a politician talking about a “laundry list of spending.” It’s a funny term, laundry list. I make to-do lists and gro...