The bouba kiki effect shows that people often connect certain sounds with round or sharp shapes, even when the words are meaningless.

Hurricane entered English through Spanish, but its deeper origin is Taíno hurakán, a Caribbean word linked to a storm spirit.

“Chew the cud” means to think something over carefully. The phrase comes from how cows bring food back up and chew it again.

“A dark horse” started in horse racing for an unknown but promising horse, then spread to politics and everyday English.