15 Words That Aren’t As Straightforward As They Look (and The Smallest Country In The World)

You could be anywhere in your inbox this morning, but thanks for being here! Thursday, July 13, 2017 iStock FROM THE EDITORS Here's What's Buzzing Around the Office: 1 [The "piggy" in "piggyback" actually has nothing to do with pigs. The phrase is believed to be a corruption of pick-a-pack or pick-pack—a 16th-century expression for carrying something on your shoulders. Take a look at 14 more words with origins and meanings that aren’t as straightforward as they seem.]( 2 [Science hasn't proven the existence of ghosts, but it can help explain why some people believe they've seen paranormal activity.]( 3 [Unless you bang your funny bone or regularly play tennis, it's unlikely you spend a lot of time thinking about your elbow. But without it, many daily activities would be impossible. Read on for 10 things you might not know about the crucial joint.]( 4 [Meet the Golden Retriever who is cleaning up China's polluted rivers, one plastic bottle at a time.]( 5 [Today's Big Question: What’s the smallest country in the world?]( YouTube fun [The World's Biggest Super Soaker is Not a Toy]( Netflix entertainment [5 Things We Know About Stranger Things Season 2]( [Gisela Giardino]( Wikimedia Commons // [CC BY-SA 2.0]( science [It Turns Out That Single-Celled Organisms Are Having Sex Too]( iStock Lists [10 Things From Around the World With the Names of U.S. States]( FUN FACT Fireflies can be poisonous. When predators attack, they shed drops of blood that contain chemicals capable of killing vertebrates. [For more about this, CLICK HERE]( iStock © 2017 Mental Floss, Inc., All rights reserved. Mental Floss® is a registered trademark owned by Felix Dennis.[mentalfloss.com]( is a trademark owned by Felix Dennis. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive notifications from mental_floss magazine and [mentalfloss.com](. Got feedback? We want to hear it! Send your thoughts to [newsletter@mentalfloss.com](mailto:newsletter@mentalfloss.com?subject=I've%20got%20feedback!%20) Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( this list OUR MAILING ADDRESS IS: Mental Floss Inc. 55 W 39th Street 5th Floor New York, New York 10018 [View this email in your browser]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Thursday, July 13, 2017 iStock FROM THE EDITORS Here's What's Buzzing Around the Office: 1 [The "piggy" in "piggyback" actually has nothing to do with pigs. The phrase is believed to be a corruption of pick-a-pack or pick-pack—a 16th-century expression for carrying something on your shoulders. Take a look at 14 more words with origins and meanings that aren’t as straightforward as they seem.]( 2 [Science hasn't proven the existence of ghosts, but it can help explain why some people believe they've seen paranormal activity.]( 3 [Unless you bang your funny bone or regularly play tennis, it's unlikely you spend a lot of time thinking about your elbow. But without it, many daily activities would be impossible. Read on for 10 things you might not know about the crucial joint.]( 4 [Meet the Golden Retriever who is cleaning up China's polluted rivers, one plastic bottle at a time.]( 5 [Today's Big Question: What’s the smallest country in the world?]( fun [The World's Biggest Super Soaker is Not a Toy]( YouTube science [It Turns Out That Single-Celled Organisms Are Having Sex Too]( [Gisela Giardino]( Wikimedia Commons // [CC BY-SA 2.0]( entertainment [5 Things We Know About Stranger Things Season 2]( Netflix Lists [10 Things From Around the World With the Names of U.S. States]( iStock FUN FACT Fireflies can be poisonous. When predators attack, they shed drops of blood that contain chemicals capable of killing vertebrates. [For more about this, CLICK HERE]( iStock © 2017 Mental Floss, Inc., All rights reserved. Mental Floss® is a registered trademark owned by Felix Dennis.[mentalfloss.com]( is a trademark owned by Felix Dennis. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive notifications from mental_floss magazine and [mentalfloss.com](. Got feedback? We want to hear it! Send your thoughts to [newsletter@mentalfloss.com](mailto:newsletter@mentalfloss.com?subject=I've%20got%20feedback!%20) Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( this list OUR MAILING ADDRESS IS: Mental Floss Inc. 55 W 39th Street 5th Floor New York, New York 10018 [View this email in your browser]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube](