“Hoist with your own petard” began as a literal military image and now means being harmed by your own plan or tactic.

“Buy the farm” means “die,” but the famous military insurance story is not proven. Here is what we know, and what remains uncertain.

English borrowed jungle from Hindi jangal. Earlier, the word referred more broadly to wild or uncultivated land, not just dense forest.

Pajamas came into English from Hindi and Urdu. It first referred to loose trousers, then later became the usual word for sleepwear.