The term POT-BOILER, used sometimes to describe a book, means it wasn't written for any artistic aspirations, but to put meat on the table

ALLIGATOR comes from the Spanish el Lagarto, meaning a lizard

Not widely known outside the US, CHARLEY HORSE is an expression meaning a leg cramp or pulled muscle

ASTHMA is the only common 6-letter word to begin and end with a vowel but with none in between

The term HARLOT started out as a word meaning a villainous man before becoming a word for a woman with loose morals

The early sponsors of SOAP OPERAS were detergent companies, hence their nickname

Canada's NEWFOUNDLAND was exactly that. Explorer John Cabot called it a new found isle, and the name more or less stuck

The name JEEP came from the abbreviation used in the army for the General Purpose vehicle, GP

Americans use ALUMINUM but the British and Commonwealth use ALUMINIUM with an extra 'I'

A LOBBYIST who seeks to gain political favour gets their name from the US practice of those people who frequent the lobbies of legislative buildings