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Aug

Name That Finger: Digit-al Wordplay

by Meredith Mullins on August 31, 2020

A pentadactyl adventure
© Meredith Mullins

The Cultural Traditions of Finger Names Around the World

The finger has a long history. No, not THAT finger—that one that always seems to come to mind first.

The finger in the broader, pentadactyl sense. The five fingers of the hand.

We humans aren’t the only folks in the world with fingers. Many in the animal kingdom have five-fingered limbs, from monkeys and apes to rats and bats to pandas and birds. Read more...

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Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Language & Culture/Wordplay/Worldwide Sites

Aug

Memorable Moments: Let’s Have a Word

by Your friends at OIC on August 20, 2018

Let the wordplay begin!
© ThinkStock

It’s no secret that here at OIC Moments, we love language! And with a name like “OIC,” our passion for language includes the love of using letters and words in amusing ways. While we give our bloggers a well-deserved break from putting words together (as they so adeptly do), we hope you’ll have f-u-n with our favorite wordplay posts from the past.

Wordplay: The Power of One Little Letter

Word lovers—find an “Oh, I see” moment when a change of just one little letter turns a word into a surprising new word. This post also includes a free download word game! Go to the post. Read more...

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Wordplay

Nov

A Game of French Wordplay: Les Bons Mots

by Meredith Mullins on November 20, 2017

A French bakery (boulangerie) with two women selling baguettes, illustrating baguettiquette, a form of French wordplay about the etiquette of eating baguettes. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

French Language Puns Offer Stories about the Culture

You can often step into French life through its language. Sometimes you can even invent new words to expand the boundaries of French language and culture. All it takes are some bilingual puns and a fun sense of French wordplay.

What word inventions come to your mind?

Observing Baguettiquette

What are the rules and traditions surrounding that oh-so-French symbol, the baguette? Read more...