'The high five was invented in 1977': Etymologists reveal the origins of well-known words and phrases

One of the many mind-bending things about knowing a language is how many words and sayings we use while having next to no idea of their origin. Writing and speech change all the time, and when they are built on for hundreds or thousands of years it's inevitable that some things are going to get lost in translation.

What is even more wild is how quickly we forget how certain things become a part of the popular lexicon. Sometimes, it only takes a few short years for a phrase to be commonly used, but the context it came from is unclear. When one Twitter user claimed that the term 'Debbie Downer' was first coined by SNL, many rushed to claim that this was incorrect. However, many others chimed in with their own examples of phrases with potentially interesting backstories. Popular culture is more influential than we give it credit for sometimes.

Author image for Ally Perry Ally Perry
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