Patently Absurd

The phrase "patently absurd" was coined in the late 1700's, when the newly founded U.S. Patent Office was flooded with thousands of applications for ridiculous, impractical inventions.

Subaru Outback

In Australia, the Subaru Outback is called the Serengeti.

Mr. Met

Mr. Met began as the mascot of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His head was a globe, instead of a baseball, before he was adopted by the New York Mets ball club.

Pundits

Political commentators were first called "pundits" in the late 19th century, due to their reliance on puns to insult public figures.

Milli Vanilli

When their lip-syncing scandal first erupted, Milli Vanilli was weeks away from releasing their next single, a cover of a Pretenders song.

Soy

Soy was such an integral staple of the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula that the word survives to this day as the Spanish for "I am."

Pilgrims

The pilgrims at Plymouth first hunted turkeys not for food but to keep them from eating the settlers' crops.

"Fruit"

The derogatory use of the word "fruit" to refer to homosexual men derives from the Carmen Miranda-style hats worn by drag queens.

Honey Mustard

Honey mustard contains neither honey nor mustard.

Number Munchers

Over 100 school districts have banned the computer game "Number Munchers" because it promotes poor eating habits.

People Person

The term "people person" originally referred to slave traders.

Coca-Cola Classic

The first batch of Coca-Cola Classic, released in 1985, was simply New Coke in "Classic" packaging. The few consumers who noticed were paid an undisclosed sum to remain quiet.

Honda Odyssey

The Honda Odyssey was so named because it was designed to last 20 years. However, shortly before its introduction to the public, a Honda employee noted that Homer's "Odyssey" spanned only 10 years, not 20, so the vehicle's connection to the epic poem was dropped.

Cancer

Cancer got its name from the mistaken medieval belief that it only afflicted people born between June 21st and July 23rd.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers once signed a man named Chuck Norris to a one-game contract.

Mouseketeers

The Mouseketeers were created in the late 1930s to emulate the Hitler Youth.

February 29th

In 9 states, including Texas, babies born on February 29th are issued birth certificates reading "March 1st."

Banana Republic

The clothing chain "Banana Republic" is barred from operation in several Central American countries, including Guatemala and Honduras.

King Kong

When the 1933 film "King Kong" first went into production, it used a live gorilla to play the title role. After lead actress Fay Wray threatened to quit, the gorilla was replaced with a model, which was filmed in stop-motion.

Parking Lots

In the United States, more fatalities occur in parking lots than on highways.

Mercury

The closest planet to the sun was named Mercury by ancient astronomers who, because of its silver color, believed it to be made of mercury (or "quicksilver").

Rip Van Winkle

The historical Rip Van Winkle did not actually sleep for twenty years straight. Rather, he suffered from severe amnesia.

Dodos

There remains a small but stable dodo population on the warmest parts of Antarctica.

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver's wife died of a peanut allergy.

Bowling Ball

The bowling ball predates the sport of bowling. It was originally used in ancient times to shape round bowls out of lumps of clay.

Garden-Variety

The term "garden-variety" was coined by people trying to identify a particular group of women as prostitutes:
"They're hoes, and not your garden-variety hoes, either."

Making Out Like Bandits

The expression "making out like bandits" originated with Bonnie and Clyde, who were known to kiss passionately after robbing a bank.