Opposites Attract
The word "sanction" can mean both "to approve or permit" and "to punish." Weird, huh? It's an example of a contronym: a word that can be its own opposite, or have two contradictory meanings.
Arts & Life
I Saw The Seinfeld
In this game we put our VIPs, The Milk Carton Kids, on the same team. Kenneth describes famous Seinfeld catchphrases to Joey, who must guess the line.
The Most Important Quiz Of The Day
West Egg on a Seabiscuit with Lady Marmalade―yum! For our final round, every correct answer is a word, phrase, or proper noun that contains the name of a breakfast food or beverage.
Plan 'B': How A Feminist Comic Book Found Devoted Fans Through Absurdity
NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with writer Kelly Sue DeConnick about her comic, Bitch Planet, about a dystopian future where being "noncompliant" in almost any way can land women on a prison planet.
These Three 'Judges' Are On The Hunt For Justice
Three novellas by some of Italy's best crime writers make up Judges. Andrea Camilleri, Carlo Lucarelli and Giancarlo De Cataldo weave tales of idealistic judges fighting crime and corruption.
'Daydreams Of Angels' Tells Stories Within Stories
Many of the pieces in Heather O'Neill's new collection involve characters telling stories, fables and fairy tales that wander far beyond the boundaries of their original genres to forge a new reality.
Patti Smith Reveals Her Solitary Soul In The 'M Train'
Smith follows up to her National Book Award-winning memoir, Just Kids, with another memoir, M Train. Critic Maureen Corrigan says it is a haunting story about weathering life's storms.
For Israeli-Born Chef, Hummus And 'Tehina' Are A Bridge To Home
Chef Michael Solomonov sees his mission as connecting people to the food of his homeland. "That, to me, is my life's work," he says. Solomonov's new cookbook is Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking.
Robot Birds Teach Kids To Program In 'Secret Coders'
The first installment in Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes' new graphic novel series uses goofy art — and four-eyed robotic birds — to get kids excited about learning to code.
Meet Mozzified, A Site For Ramadan Recipes, Sharia Memes And Nosy-Auntie Jokes
Zainab Khan says her website is geared toward young, socially aware Muslims who might, say, "binge-watch Friends on Netflix, play basketball after Friday prayers and buy eco-friendly products."