Why do we say 'surfing the web'? | | Much like the internet itself, the idiom "surfing the web" has been around for only a few decades. Its recent coinage helps us trace its exact origins. | |  | Bennett Kleinman |
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| |  | | G iven the potential for water and sand damage, the risks associated with bringing your laptop to the beach are not insignificant. Furthermore, you'll never see a surfer answering emails while paddling their board out into the ocean. So why do we call it "surfing the web" when it's most often done from homes or coffee shops? The answer is back in the 1980s.
Before it was ever associated with the internet, the verb "surfing" was used in a figurative sense in the context of other technological phenomena. It was borrowed from the sport of surfing to convey performing tasks with fluidity and ease, much like a surfer riding from wave to wave. For instance, the term "channel surfing," to describe switching between TV channels, appeared in a 1986 article in The Wall Street Journal. And in 1988, futurist writer Paul Saffo wrote about "information surfing," which is the idea of using computer technology to easily compile information. |
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Emoji Decoded | |  | | Smiling Face with Halo | | | Meaning: The halo smiley indicates prayers, blessings, or angelic behavior, such as good deeds.
Evolution: Emojis are often used to indicate a tone implying the exact opposite of the depicted emoji. The halo might indicate a naughty or sassy tone.
Usage: [Teasing response to a question about doing something ill-advised:] I would never get back together with Scott. Not even if he brought my favorite flowers 😇😇😇 |
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| | Smiling Face with Halo | | | Meaning: The halo smiley indicates prayers, blessings, or angelic behavior, such as good deeds.
Evolution: Emojis are often used to indicate a tone implying the exact opposite of the depicted emoji. The halo might indicate a naughty or sassy tone.
Usage: [Teasing response to a question about doing something ill-advised:] I would never get back together with Scott. Not even if he brought my favorite flowers 😇😇😇 |
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Have you read? | |  | | North Woods | | By Daniel Mason | | "North Woods" tells the story of a house from the perspective of the people (and animals) who inhabit it across hundreds of years. Each of the 12 chapters represents a different month of the year, and each belongs to a different character. As the seasons and centuries change, the house in the woods tells its own story about nature and history. | | | | Samantha Abernethy, Word Smarts Writer | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
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| | North Woods | | By Daniel Mason | | "North Woods" tells the story of a house from the perspective of the people (and animals) who inhabit it across hundreds of years. Each of the 12 chapters represents a different month of the year, and each belongs to a different character. As the seasons and centuries change, the house in the woods tells its own story about nature and history. | | | | Samantha Abernethy, Word Smarts Writer | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
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You might also like | |  | | | | What Is a 'Card Sharp' vs. a 'Card Shark'? | | Whether you're a "card sharp" or a "card shark," you're probably not welcome at many casinos. Here's a look at the origins of these two similar terms for swindling card players. |
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