The word superstition sparks the imagination, like an old creaking door that when opened takes us to the world of the supernatural or one with superpowers.

And sometimes it just takes us to making a wish before we blow out the candles on our birthday cake or not opening an umbrella indoors.

We love to share the backstory of the words we feature here on Word Savvy, but in the case of superstition, we’re going to set the stage with a couple of familiar yet key related words: CHANCE and LUCK.

Why are we so fascinated with puzzles?  We describe our podcast, Word Savvy, as word candy.  Do you think that puzzles are a sort of irresistible brain candy? 

I guess that’s a playful way to describe puzzles. As a verb, puzzle means to confuse someone. As a noun it can mean a person or thing that’s hard to understand or a game or a problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge.

A penny for your thoughts on the demise of the U.S. penny or rather on saying ta-ta to the one cent coin, its official name!

It’s a sudden, but not unexpected ending. After being part of our currency for 230 years, the last penny was minted on November 12, 2025 in Philadelphia because of production costs. While I understand that it doesn’t make sense (he-he) to mint coins that cost more than their value, I’m a little sad to see the end of the U.S. one cent coin.

Our obsession with time is reflected in the extensive English vocabulary related to it - way too many words to cover today! But one word that stands out to us is the prefix chrono that defines linear time and came from Greek language and mythology.

Recently Dictionary dot com announced their pick for the 2025 Word of the Year and I don’t think I’m the only one who is a little confused by their choice.  It’s actually a number - 6 7.

I know what 10-4 means, but what does 6 7 mean? 

That’s a great question and the origin is a bit fuzzy.  It could be a reference to a song or a viral TikTok.  The sing-songy numerals are usually paired with upturned palms alternately moving up and down.  It is sometimes a response meaning ‘so-so’ or ‘this or that’.  But often it is just repeated randomly, usually by the Gen Alpha crowd.

Word Savvy, a playful language podcast, is word candy for logophiles and casual wordies alike. We dig as deeply as our keyboards allow to find the origins and interesting facts about words that kindle our curiosity. Then we have a ball wrapping these gems in tight, slightly amusing narratives. After listening to our weekly podcast episodes, you’ll find yourself delighting friends and family with rich Word Savvy tidbits!