Pop culture etymologies

This 1944 movie gave its name to a psychological tactic

We are used to thinking that the words we use daily are derived from Latin or Greek words used centuries ago, or that great authors like Shakespeare coined them. Sometimes, though, these everyday terms have been in use for just a few decades, or are the product of a children’s book or a cartoon, and we are none the wiser. Let’s have a look at 11 words that were first used or popularized in books and movies.

In 2022, ‘gaslighting’ was chosen as the word of the year by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, describing the manipulative technique of making someone question their memories, perceptions, and even their reality. While the term is now used for a psychological manipulation, its name comes from a literal gaslight.

In the 1944 movie Gaslight, adapted from a play, a man slowly convinces his wife that she’s going insane to commit her to an asylum. One of his tactics consists of dimming the gas lights in the house while insisting she is imagining the light changes. Despite the term originating in 1944, it only became widely used in the 2010s.

In the 21st century, paparazzi are an annoying but common occurrence for anyone famous, but did you know that their name comes from a 1960s Italian classic film? Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita follows Marcello Rubini, a celebrity journalist, across seven days in Rome.

Rubini is accompanied by the photographer Paparazzo, modelled after scandal-hunting Roman photographers, a name the director chose because it reminded him of an annoying, quick-moving insect. The use of the name as a common term for celebrity photographers was popularized in English by Time magazine shortly after the movie.

Robots are not an oddity in the 21st century and are a common occurrence in movies, books, and other types of media. But the term ‘robot’ has a darker history than many imagine. First used in the 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Czech writer Karel Čapek, it was used to describe bio-engineered humans—closer to what we would now call androids—, mass-produced to serve as workers.

Čapek used the Czech word robota, meaning ‘serfdom’, ‘hard work’, and sometimes interpreted as ‘slave’, to name these human-like beings that were efficient, but lacked emotions, critical thinking, and self-preservation instincts, and were thus easier to exploit. The term entered the English language in the late 1930s and later evolved into the idea of a highly advanced machine.

Did you know that the name of this popular search engine is derived from a mathematical term? A ‘googol’ describes a 1 followed by a hundred zeroes, and the founders of Google chose the name —with a slightly different spelling— to reflect the vast amount of information the search engine would make available.

But while the verb form ‘to Google’ was initially used by founder Larry Page in 1998, it only became popular in 2002, thanks to the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where in S07, E04, Willow asks Buffy, "Have you googled her yet?" Google has tried to discourage this use of the term, but what can you do against the power of a cult series?

No one really knows where the term ‘nerd’ originated, but it is widely accepted that it’s a variation of ‘nert’ or ‘nut’, both meaning a stupid or crazy person. It first appeared in print in the 1950s book If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss, where it is used as the name of a small creature.

By that point, the term became popular as a derogatory way to describe someone brainy or socially inept. However, its later use in sitcoms and films in association with intellectualism and a passion for technology has contributed to lessening the negative connotations of the word.

When Hormel Foods introduced SPAM to the market in 1937, they never imagined it would become the international word for junk emails. The brand name, an abbreviation of ‘spiced ham’, eventually became synonymous with luncheon meat and was featured in a humorous sketch of the BBC comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus.

The sketch features a bar where every dish includes SPAM, which prompts a group of Viking patrons to shout "spam, spam" each time the waitress reads out the menu. The term was then adopted to describe repetitive, unwanted internet messages, and it is now instantly associated with commercial ads and repetitive messages.

Now a common way to take responsibility for something or to admit a fault, this phrase originated in the world of basketball in the 1970s to own an error and keep the game moving. Golden State Warriors’ Manute Bol is commonly credited with popularizing its use in the basketball context, but its spreading to other contexts came through the rom-com classic Clueless.

This 90s reimagining of a Jane Austen novel popularized several San Fernando Valley slang words and phrases through its main character, Cher, and her use of "Oops! My bad" during a driving lesson is probably one of the most iconic Clueless quotes.

We now understand the term ‘nimrod’ as ‘fool’ or ‘klutz’, but its original use was quite different. The Bible describes King Nimrod, one of Noah’s descendants, as a mighty hunter, but the name also carries the meaning of ‘rebellious’ and ‘tyrant’, so across history, ‘nimrod’ has been used to refer to both tyrants and good hunters.

How did it come to mean fool? It is all Bugs Bunny’s fault. In a 1948 Looney Tunes episode, Bugs Bunny mockingly calls Elmer Fudd a nimrod, implying that he is a pathetic hunter. Maybe the audience failed to pick up the biblical reference or the sarcasm, but that was the turning point of ‘nimrod’ from hunter to fool.

J.R.R. Tolkien coined many terms, but we bet you didn’t know he was the mind behind the use of ‘tween’ as preadolescent. While he did not invent the term itself —this shortened version of ‘between’ already existed— he contributed to its association with the stage between childhood and coming of age.

In The Lord of the Rings, ‘tween’ is used to describe hobbits in their twenties, often irresponsible and reckless, no longer children, but still not fully adults until they are 33 years old. As hobbits live longer than humans, this stage is equivalent to preteens and teenagers. After the term was popularized in English, it became synonymous with children in the in-between stage before adolescence.

If you ever thought that ‘pandemonium’ might be related to ‘demon’, you were a hundred percent right. A combination of the Greek pan (‘all’) and the Latin daemonium (‘demon’ or ‘evil spirit’), the word first appeared in John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667). In the poem, the angels fallen from Heaven create a palace in Hell, called Pandemonium or ‘place of all the demons’.

How did its meaning shift to chaos and mayhem? A few decades after Milton coined it, the term became common to describe places of chaos and uproar, eventually being associated with the chaos itself.

Have you ever heard the term ‘malapropism’? It is often used to describe the incorrect use of a word in place of another that sounds similar, such as confusing ‘amphibious’ with ‘ambidextrous’. Though this is a common speech mistake in any language, its English name comes from the 1775 play The Rivals, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

In the play, the character of Mrs. Malaprop (from the French mal à propos, ‘poorly placed’) frequently uses the incorrect but similar-sounding word, creating confusion and failing to properly communicate. Though the term ‘dogberryism’ —in reference to a Shakespearean character— is sometimes used, ‘malapropism’ has undoubtedly become the most common name for this mistake.

Hospital secrets

What is a "Code Gray" and what you should know if you hear it at the E.R.

A trip to the emergency room can be stressful enough without hearing doctors and nurses speak a language that sounds like a secret code. One minute, someone is asking for medication "STAT," the next there’s a "Code Gray," and another patient is suddenly "NPO." What do those words really mean? Some are official medical terms, others are insider slang, but they all help hospital staff communicate quickly when every second counts. Here are 10 of those codes explained.

The E.R. can be hectic and unpredictable. Most patients are frightened or uncomfortable, but now and then someone becomes aggressive because of pain, confusion, mental illness, or the effects of alcohol or other substances. That’s when you can hear "Code Gray" announced over the speakers.

The code is used to summon security officers to help manage a violent or combative situation. While color codes vary from one hospital to another, Code Gray commonly signals that staff needs extra assistance to protect patients, visitors, and healthcare workers. Even if you know it now, most people in the waiting room never know what happened, and that’s exactly the point.

You have a scheduled surgery, you’re in your bed waiting to be taken to the surgery room, and you ask for a cup of coffee to make the wait lighter. The nurse will probably tell you you’re an NPO. You may think it’s serious, but it’s simply a procedure.

"NPO" is an abbreviation that comes from the Latin phrase Nil Per Os, which means "nothing by mouth." It tells patients they cannot eat, drink, or sometimes even take medication until doctors say it’s safe. The rule is most common before surgery or certain medical tests, when food or liquids could increase the risk of complications or alter the results. It may be frustrating, but it’s an important part of keeping patients safe.

You’ve probably been through the experience of visiting an emergency room, either to get checked or to visit a loved one. In that part of the hospital where everyone is rushing to save lives, you’ve probably heard a doctor asking for the R.C.P. cart or medication "STAT!" It sounds urgent, and that's because it is.

The expression comes from the Latin statim, which means "immediately" or "without delay." Hospitals have used Latin medical terms for centuries, but STAT is one of the few that remains part of everyday conversation. When a doctor says it, the request jumps to the top of the priority list. It doesn’t always refer to a life-or-death situation, but it does mean the medical team needs something done as quickly as possible.

Newborns are always a reason to celebrate at the hospital. Parents usually rest happily next to their child as they receive congratulations from close relatives. However, the hospital is always prepared to handle extremely rare emergencies under "code pink."

If you hear a "Code Pink," it usually means a baby or young child is suspected of being abducted from the hospital. Within seconds, security officers respond, exits may be monitored or blocked, and staff begins following carefully rehearsed procedures. Although different hospitals sometimes use different color codes, Code Pink has become widely recognized across North America as one of the most serious alerts a hospital can issue.

If you’ve ever spent a few days in the hospital, you’ve probably noticed that some patients are walking up and down the halls, while others need help just getting out of bed. When a nurse refers to someone as a "walkie-talkie," it’s actually good news.

This informal expression refers to patients who can walk on their own, use the bathroom without assistance, and handle most basic tasks independently. It’s not an official medical term, of course, but it’s commonly used among healthcare workers because it quickly tells the next shift that the patient requires less hands-on care than many others.

As nurses change shifts, you’ll often hear them give a quick report about each patient. One person may only need medication, while another is described as a "total."

The term is short for a patient who requires total care. They may need help eating, bathing, getting dressed, turning in bed, or moving from one place to another. Although the expression sounds impersonal, it’s simply a practical way for caregivers to communicate how much assistance someone needs.

Most people hear "frequent flyer" and think of an airline reward program. And that’s correct, but in an emergency room, the phrase has a very different meaning.

A frequent flyer is an informal nickname for patients who repeatedly return to the hospital, often due to chronic illness, recurring medical conditions, or other ongoing health issues. Behind the light-hearted nickname is often a difficult reality. Many of these patients are simply dealing with medical problems that require regular emergency care, and the expression is just a way to make the experience a bit lighter among the familiar faces of doctors and nurses.

Not all codes are for patients. The next time you’re in a hospital, look closely at what the nurse is pushing from room to room. It may look like a small rolling desk with a computer on top. Staff often call it a "WOW," short for "workstation on wheels."

As hospitals switched from paper charts to electronic medical records, these mobile computers became essential. Nurses use them to review test results, scan medications, update patient charts, and check doctors’ orders without leaving the bedside. The name sounds funny, but the technology helps caregivers spend more time with patients instead of walking back and forth to a nursing station.

After getting a shot or having blood drawn, most patients never think about where the used needle ends up. It certainly doesn't go into an ordinary trash can.

Hospitals place needles, scalpels, and other sharp medical instruments into special containers designed to prevent accidental injuries. These sturdy, puncture-resistant boxes are sealed when full and safely disposed of in accordance with strict health regulations. This not only protects nurses, but it also protects cleaning crews, waste handlers, and even the public from dangerous needle sticks. It’s one of the most important safety measures in every hospital, even though most patients never notice it.

If you’ve ever watched a medical drama, you've probably seen a patient become so agitated that several staff members rush into the room. In situations like that, a doctor or nurse may ask for a "B-52." But the name has nothing to do with numbers themselves; it actually comes from a medicine.

B-52 is hospital slang for a fast-acting injection used to calm down patients who are severely combative or at risk of harming themselves or others. The nickname comes from a commonly used combination of medications that usually include diphenhydramine, haloperidol, and lorazepam. It’s strictly reserved for when other methods of calming the patient haven’t worked.