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8 Of The Most Looked-Up Definitions In The United States

Image: James

Some of us still hold on to dusty old dictionaries and huge encyclopedia volumes, reveling in the act of browsing through an actual, physical book. However, it's impossible to deny the ease of access that search engines provide when it comes to checking up a quick fact or finding the definition of a particularly tricky word.

If you spend any amount of time on the internet, chances are that you've done just that once or twice. And guess what? You are not alone. Here, in no particular order, are 8 of the most looked-up definitions across the United States.

Image: Jaime Spaniol

A "pyrrhic victory" is one that comes at such a heavy cost that it's tantamount to defeat. In a sense, it's the polar opposite of the notion of living to fight another day.

This interesting phrase finds its roots in King Pyrrhus of Epirus, a Greek king who fought and won several battles against a growing early Rome. His victories, however, came at the expense of unacceptably heavy losses, and he is quoted as having said, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined."

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This word was one of the most searched by the residents of Washington, D.C., and for good reason. For a capital city, Washington D.C. is surprisingly green, and it recently refreshed its sustainability plan, setting goals and targets up to 2032.

This is good news, as concerns for long-term sustainability rise, and humanity as a whole strives for a more eco-friendly way of life.

Image: Taylor Grote

Saleratus searches, weirdly enough, reached an all-time high during the months of April and July of 2023. If you either live or have any friends or relatives in Texas or Vermont, maybe you'll be able to tell us what the spike in saleratus searches is all about. For the rest of you, if you'd like to know, saleratus is the Latin word for sodium bicarbonate–better known as baking soda.

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"Oligarchy" is a word with Greek roots that translates to "the rule of the few." It's used to describe a form of government in which a dominant elite controls all the power, as opposed to an ideal democracy, meaning "the rule of the people." In its modern use, it is often charged with connotations of selfishness and corruption.

Image: Annie Spratt

Uncanny things unsettle us. They are mysterious and frightening in a way that feels oddly familiar, yet out of place.

Early essays about the uncanny phenomenon focus on dolls and waxworks, and how unsettling their inanimate lifelikeness can often be. However, with the advent of AI-generated videos and images, the phrase "uncanny valley" has found renewed relevance in this day and age.

Image: Nathan Anderson

Strip "uncanny" of its negative prefix and you'll be left with "canny." While, in their modern sense, both words are not necessarily antonyms, they both stem from the early Scottish canny, "free from risk, prudent, or cautious." Today, "canny" is used to describe someone or something shrewd or clever.

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A borrowed word from French, blasé is an adjective that describes someone who, through repeated exposition, has become bored and apathetic toward stimuli. It sometimes implies a degree of practical knowledge or wisdom and, in this sense, it could be applied to a seasoned adventurer who no longer fears the dangers of the road ahead. However, blasé is often used ironically to describe people who try to appear experienced by feigning apathy.

Image: Topich

Similes and metaphors are figures of speech that are used to compare one thing to another. When using similes, the comparison is made explicit by the use of words such as "like" or "as." "You are as bright as the sun" is a simile because it uses connectors to point out similarities.

"Life is a stage," on the other hand, is a metaphor. Metaphors are stronger comparisons that renounce connectors and directly equate one thing to another. The characteristics of one thing "carry over" –from the Greek meta, "across, over," and pherō, "to bear, to carry"– to the other one.

Secret uses

There’s a hidden microphone in your phone, and here’s where it is

You’ve probably twisted a bread bag closed, filled up your car, or pulled a sheet of aluminum foil from the box thousands of times without giving it a second thought. But many of the everyday objects we’ve used for decades have clever features that most people never notice. From the tiny pocket on blue jeans to the little arrow next to your gas gauge, these hidden designs have practical stories behind them, and once you know them, you’ll never look at these familiar items the same way again.

If you own an iPhone, you’ve probably noticed the tiny black dot next to the rear camera. It’s small, so people tend to assume it’s another camera sensor or even part of the phone’s design. The small hole found near the camera bump on every iPhone is actually a rear microphone.

It captures clearer audio when you’re recording videos and helps reduce background noise during FaceTime and regular phone calls. If you own an iPhone Pro model from the iPhone 12 Pro onward, you'll also see a larger dark circle. That’s the LiDAR scanner, which sends out invisible infrared light to create a 3D map of your surroundings. It helps the camera focus faster in low light, powers Apple’s Measure app, and makes augmented reality features much more accurate.

Whether it's a holiday dinner, an anniversary, or simply a nice meal with friends, you’ve probably held a wine bottle and noticed the deep indentation in the bottom. Many people tend to think the deeper the indent, the fancier the bottle.

That indentation is called a punt, and it’s been a part of the bottle-making for centuries. Originally, it helped strengthen hand-blown glass bottles, making them less likely to crack under pressure. Today, it still adds structural stability, particularly for sparkling wines, while also giving servers a comfortable place to rest their thumb when pouring, though some say it helps collect the sediment as wines age. In any case, a deeper pun doesn’t automatically mean a better or more expensive bottle.

Almost every driver has experienced that awkward moment at the gas station. You pull up to the pump, step out of the car, and suddenly realize the fuel door is on the opposite side.

To help prevent exactly that situation, many modern vehicles include a small arrow next to the gas pump symbol on the dashboard’s fuel gauge. The arrow points towards the side of the vehicle where the fuel filler door is located. It’s a small detail on the dashboard, yet once you notice it, you’ll never have to circle the pump again.

All elevators look pretty much the same. Bigger or smaller, they all look similar, a gray box with a mirror and buttons. But if you pay close attention, you may notice there’s a small round opening near the top of the door.

That opening is a keyhole used by trained maintenance technicians and emergency responders. With a special elevator key, they can manually unlock the landing doors when repairs are needed or if passengers become trapped inside. The system allows professionals to reach the elevator safely without damaging the doors or relying solely on electrical controls. Hopefully, most of us will never need to see it in action. But in an emergency, that tiny opening becomes one of the most important parts of the system.

If you’ve ever stood in the bread aisle comparing loaves, you’ve probably noticed the colorful plastic clips or twist ties holding the bags shut. Contrary to what many think, they’re not simply a part of the packaging.

For many bakeries and grocery stores, the colors indicate the day a loaf was delivered or baked. While the exact color schedule can vary between bakeries and regions, employees use the system to quickly spot older inventory and rotate fresher bread to the back of the shelf. That way, customers are more likely to pick up the freshest loaf available.

Whether you wear jeans every day or only pull them out for yard work, you’ve probably noticed the tiny extra pocket tucked inside one of the front pockets. It’s too small for a phone and not very useful for loose change, but there’s a reason for it.

Back in the 1800s, when Levi Strauss & Co. created rugged denim pants for miners, ranchers, and cowboys working across the American West, pocket watches were commonplace. Workers needed a safe place to carry their watches while riding horses, so that little pocket was designed specifically to protect the watch from damage. Pocket watches disappeared, but the tiny pocket became such an iconic part of blue jeans that manufacturers have continued including it for well over a century.

Almost everyone has had the same frustrating experience. You pull on a sheet of aluminum foil, and suddenly the entire roll slides out of the box and lands on the kitchen counter.

That’s exactly why major manufacturers such as Reynolds introduced the small side tabs, known as end locks, in the mid-1990s. By pressing the tabs inward, they hold the cardboard roll in place like built-in axles. This keeps the roll from sliding out of the box, makes it much more stable as you pull, and helps the serrated edge cut a cleaner, straighter sheet. It also reduces waste by preventing the foil from bunching up or tearing unevenly. It’s a simple design, yet useful as it can get.

Every household has pens lying around for all kinds of purposes. And most of them have a common feature, a hole in the cap, which isn’t simply part of the design.

BIC and other pen manufacturers included the opening as a safety feature. If someone, especially a child, accidentally swallows a pen cap, the hole can allow a small amount of air to pass through, reducing the risk of complete airway blockage while emergency help is on the way. The design became part of border efforts to improve consumer product safety after choking incidents drew attention to the danger of small plastic objects.

If you grew up sewing or watching somebody do it, you probably remember the classic tomato-shaped pincushion sitting beside the sewing basket. Hanging from it was a tiny red strawberry that looked like nothing more than a cute finishing touch.

In reality, that little strawberry has its own job. Instead of soft stuffing, it’s filled with emery, a gritty material made from crushed abrasive minerals. Running pins and needles through it helps polish away tiny spots of rust, smooth rough edges, and keep the points sharp enough to glide through fabric more easily.

Think back to the first time you learned to type. Maybe it was at work, or on a family computer. Wherever it was, someone probably told you to keep your fingers on the "home row." That’s exactly why the F and J keys have tiny raised ridges.

The bumps let your index fingers find the correct starting position by touch alone, allowing you to type without constantly looking down at the keyboard. The technique, known as "touch typing," is widely credited to American court stenographer Frank Edward McGurrin, who demonstrated it in 1888. As typewriters became more common, manufacturers experimented with different ways to help typists orient their hands, and by the mid-20th century, companies such as IBM standardized the subtly raised plastic bars that remain on nearly every keyboard today.