Canon means a rule, standard, or accepted body of work. Cannon means a large gun. Here is how to choose the right word.

Spoonerism comes from Reverend William Spooner, a man famous for accidental sound swaps like “queer old dean.”

“Down in the dumps” has meant feeling low since the 1700s. The key is an older meaning of “dumps”: gloom or melancholy.

Both cactuses and cacti are accepted plurals of cactus. Here is why English allows both forms, with simple examples.

This expression began with care, meaning worry, not curiosity. Here is how the phrase changed and how people use it now.