Music
This 2021 debut single by Olivia Rodrigo about a painful breakup began as a TikTok-fueled viral smash and topped charts worldwide.
What is “drivers license”?
When your friend demands all the gossip about last night, they might say, “Spill it — _______!”
What is "tea?"
This talk-show host and media mogul built a daytime TV empire and founded a network called OWN.
Who is “Oprah Winfrey?”
This HBO crime drama (premiering in 1999) follows New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he balances family life with running a criminal organization.
What is “The Sopranos?”
This global furniture and home-goods retailer’s name is an acronym formed from the founder’s name and the farm and village where he grew up (Ingvar Kamprad + Elmtaryd + Agunnaryd).
What is "IKEA?”
Although he gradually lost his hearing, this composer completed his famous Ninth Symphony, which includes the “Ode to Joy.”
Who is "Ludwig van Beethoven?"
When a person proudly shows off their new sneakers and posts a photo of them, they’re doing this slangy one-word action (often meaning “show off”).
What is "flex?”
This Spanish painter and sculptor co-founded Cubism and later produced neo-classical works; his Blue and Rose periods preceded an even more famous revolution in art.
Who is “Pablo Picasso?”
This 1959–1964 anthology series, hosted and mostly written by Rod Serling, featured twist endings and moral lessons about the strange and uncanny.
What is “The Twilight Zone?”
This fast-fashion giant, started by Amancio Ortega in Spain, was originally going to be called “Zorba” after a film — but a name clash with a nearby bar inspired the change.
What is "Zara?”
A pivotal figure in modal jazz, this trumpeter led the 1959 album Kind of Blue, widely considered one of the greatest jazz records ever.
Who is "Miles Davis?"
Used to emphasize honesty — if someone says “_____ _____,” they mean “no lie,” “seriously,” or “I’m not exaggerating.”
What is "no cap?”
A Mexican painter famous for bold self-portraits exploring identity and pain; married to Diego Rivera.
Who is “Frida Kahlo?”
A Netflix sci-fi/horror series (debuted 2016) set in the 1980s about a group of kids, a mysterious girl with powers, and a strange government lab in a small town called Hawkins.
What is “Stranger Things?”
This British outfitter invented a breathable weatherproof fabric called gabardine and popularized the trench coat; its distinctive tartan check started life as an interior lining.
What is "Burberry?”
This Austrian composer pioneered the twelve-tone method and wrote Pierrot Lunaire (1912).
Who is "Arnold Schoenberg?"
When social-media users demand proof (screenshots, DMs) of a claim or shady behavior, they often ask for these — online “evidence.”
What is "receipts?”
A Chinese philosopher (6th century BCE) whose teachings about ritual, morality, and social order became the foundation of Confucianism.
Who is “Confucius?”
This CW vampire drama launched a franchise including The Originals and was based loosely on L.J. Smith’s novels about supernatural teens in Mystic Falls.
What is “Vampire Diaries?”
This triangular chocolate bar’s name is a portmanteau combining the founder’s surname with a reference to the Italian nougat torrone — its origin is Swiss.
What is "Toblerone?”
This 2019/2020 summer hit by Harry Styles, named after a sweet, summery fruit, won a Grammy in 2021 for Best Pop Solo Performance.
What is "Watermelon Sugar?”
This serious slang term describes when someone manipulates another person into doubting their own memory, perception, or sanity — often called out as emotional abuse.
What is "Gaslit?”
This economist’s “invisible hand” metaphor in The Wealth of Nations laid the foundations of classical economics.
Who is “Adam Smith?”
Created by Kevin Williamson and later adapted into a teen TV series in the late 1990s/early 2000s, this show centers on a group of friends dealing with murder, mystery, and high-school angst in the town of Tree Hill.
What is "Dawson’s Creek?”
This ice-cream brand’s invented, Scandinavian-sounding name was coined by its founders to evoke an “Old World” cachet, despite having no literal meaning.
What is "Häagen-Dazs?”