Why do magicians say “hey presto”? Well, as anyone who’s ever had piano lessons will likely know, presto means “quickly” in Italian, and so has long been used by conjurors to draw attention to some ...

If you ever stop and think about language, it’s actually kind of mind-blowing. Our ability to string words together and understand each other is nothing short of magical. So magical, in fact, that ...

About five years ago, I published a book called Magic Words. "A whole book?" some wondered. "Why can't you just give me a list?" Because the words aren't where the real magic lies. And yet, the media ...

Words are powerful things, particularly when we know how to wield them right. From the ancient “kismet” that signaled in-group belonging to the “Hey Google” of today, humanity has long understood that ...