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JPMorgan offered return-to-office perks that are remarkably similar to the show 'Severance'

The only thing missing was a "music dance experience."

severance, linkedin, jp morgan, return to office, work, work from home, jobs, workplace, wfh jobs
Apple TV

Adam Scott and Tramell Tillman in Severance

While remote work has been a mainstay since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more companies are attempting to mandate that employees return to the office, on a full or part-time basis, including one now-infamous effort from JPMorgan Chase. The company announced that as of March 2025, all employees were required to return to the office five days per week. Their CEO even ditched the policy that allowed employees to work-from-home two days per week.

To mark the occasion, welcome everyone back ( and perhaps twist the knife a bit deeper?) the United State's largest bank unveiled a plan for a massive $3 billion, 2.5 millions square foot tower on New York's famous Park Avenue—which would house 14,000 workers and feature state of the art architecture and technology—in addition to loading up its new corporate headquarters with perks to help employees transition back to office life.

Some of these "perks" were truly great and truly enticing. Others were... questionable, to say the least.

Grace Tallon on LinkedIn even noticed that some of the benefits of working in the JPMorgan Office seemed like they were yanked right out of one of the most popular current TV shows on the planet: Severance.

If you don't know it, Severance is a psychological thriller on Apple TV that doubles as a dark and biting satire of corporate office culture and capitalism. Employees at a mysterious company called Lumon are "severed" — meaning their brains, memories, and personalities are literally split in half. While at work, they are a different person and retain no memories when they leave the office every night. In return for their sacrifice and for hitting key milestones, the employees receive ludicrous rewards like short dance parties with their boss, melon parties with carved watermelons, and handfuls of balloons. Employees are also expected to marvel at bizarre pieces of art that line the hall, featuring stoic images of Lumon's revered (and more than a bit creepy) founders.

Conversely, JPMorgan's new tower boasted 19-restaurants with at-your-desk delivery, an Irish pub, and on-site physical therapy and yoga. But that's not all!

Tallon notes, however, that JPMorgan also tried to entice employees with things like "personalized climate" in rooms and offices, a "signature scent" that wafts through the halls and somehow reinforced the brand, and, get this, even a "corporate art collection" that celebrates the company's history and values. Be more on the nose next time, will you JPMorgan? That's to say nothing of design elements that support worker's circadian rhythms and coffee machines that learn your favorites over time.

"Let’s stop pretending this is about connecting and doing better work," she writes.

Read Tallon's full post below on the striking similarities:

Commenters agreed that the perks came off more than a little tone deaf.

While some folks defended the corporation for doing their best to make employees feel cared for and taken care of, others didn't quite see it that way, especially when they compared it to the perks of WFH life.

"The climate in my own home office is just right. Along with my own coffee, artwork, lighting (window wide open), and other perks and it cost me zero dollars to drive there and I don't have to wear shoes! Way out of touch," wrote Alix Z.

"Those perks sound more like a high-tech museum experience than actual employee benefits. Instead of a 'signature scent,' how about giving employees real reasons to feel good about coming to work?" said Diana Alayon.

severance, linkedin, jp morgan, return to office, work, work from home, jobs, workplace, wfh jobs Some at-home perk simply can't be beat. Photo credit: Canva

"Working at home perks: My own candle collection, curated to suit my preferences, Coffee and tea on tap, from our favourite brands, Comfortable cushions and blankets to help regulate my temperature at my desk, A variety of lighting options, ranging from warm white lamps to 'the big light', Freedom to work anywhere I want, such as my office desk, sofa, kitchen table or a coffee shop near by, Personalised art with photos of family and pictures we enjoy, Working space decorated to my own specifications, Plenty of spaces nearby for fresh air and dog walks" wrote Eloise Todd in a mic-drop comment.

There are of course benefits to working together in-person with your colleagues. And sure, if you're required to be there, nothing offsets discomfort quite like delicious lunches and free yoga classes. But to take away even the option of occasionally working from home and duct-taping over it with an algorithm that tracks coffee orders and temperature preferences, and filling the halls with strange paintings that move when employees walk by? It kind of loses the thread, and it's exactly the kind of thinking that the creators of Severance are so good at skewering.

severance, linkedin, jp morgan, retseverance, linkedin, jp morgan, return to office, work, work from home, jobs, workplace, wfh jobsurn to office, work, work from home, jobs, workplace, wfh jobs Mark (Adam Scott) at the infamous dance party scene in Severance. media0.giphy.com

According to Forbes, there are 6 distinct reason companies might push for a return to the office. One, corporate heads believe employees get more "immersed in the company’s values." Two, they think it's easier to monitor whether or not an employee is actually working. Three, to justify the cot of that expensive office space. Four, to foster "spontaneous collaboration." Five, to give new employees a chance to observe and interact with more seasoned worker. and six, to restore a sense of belonging within the company.

But of course, none of these things have anything to do with what people really want: Autonomy. That, in addition to fair pay, some level of flexibility, and good benefits. Perks are nice — even the kind of weird ones — but they can only go so far. It remains to be seen if companies that dictate back-to-the-office edicts are willing to follow through on the things that really matter. Please note how waffle parties did not make that list.

This article originally appeared in February

partnerships

5 ways people are going "all in" this week

From the silliest to the most sentimental, there are so many ways people are going “all in” on the internet this week. Here are our five favorites.

True

There's something truly special about watching someone go "all in." This could mean throwing an elaborately themed birthday party for a Chihuahua (see below) or something a little simpler, like surprising someone with a long-anticipated birthday present. Whatever it is, going "all in" means total commitment—no holding back, no second-guessing, just passion and full-throttle enthusiasm. It means being fully present in the moment and creating something truly special as a result.

In this roundup, we’ve scoured the internet for the best examples of people going all in—those moments where passion, creativity, and total commitment take center stage. Some are silly, some are sentimental, but all of them are a reminder that giving 100% is the only way to truly leave a mark on this world. Buckle up—these folks didn’t just show up, they went all in.

1. The guy who learned Mandarin to propose

@yinrun_hello He secretly learned Chinese to Propose 😭😭😭 #fiance #proposal #engagement #love ♬ pluto projector - ☆

Talk about commitment. Getting married is the ultimate example of being "all in," but this guy takes it to a whole other level. Shared to social media by content creator Yinrun Huang, the emotional video captures a marriage proposal that's completely in Mandarin from a non-native speaker. That's right—this guy learned a whole language (and executed it pretty well) to win his girlfriend's hand in marriage. Not only are the words beautiful, his dedication is, too.

2. Kid-approved snacks that help local communities  

It’s scientifically proven that kids are brutally honest, unfiltered, and don’t hold back—which is why our friends at All In couldn’t resist sitting down with this group and getting their honest opinion. Are these snack bars really that good?

The Bite Size Board has spoken—and they’re all in. Not only are these snack bars delicious, they’re also an easy way to help people in need: Every time you buy a bar, 2% goes to a community to help them get fresh food.

Want to try these Board-approved treats? Snag a free box by signing up with your phone number on Aisle. Then grab two boxes of All In bars at Sprouts, snap a picture of your receipt, and text it through Aisle. They’ll Venmo or PayPal you back for the cost of one box. Easy and delicious.

3. This Chihuahua’s extravagant birthday bash

@phoebeparsons__ Tell me you’re a DINK family without telling me #chihuahua #dink #mexican ♬ EVERLASTING LOVE - GROWS

Do you love your dog? Would you throw a birthday party for them? How about a full-out celebration in a Mexican restaurant that includes banners, party hats, and the entire restaurant serenading him? Yeah, we thought not. These pet owners are absolutely "all in" on this dog's birthday, and we love to see it. Not only is this celebration extravagant and clearly well thought-out, people in the comments section are jokingly pointing out that taking a Chihuahua to a Mexican restaurant is a nod to the dog's cultural heritage. If that was intentional, this might be the best dog birthday party we've ever seen.

4. Truly unhinged (and maybe true?) Taylor Swift theories

@grindcitymedia did taylor swift drop super bowl hints? 😲 #swifties #nfl #taylorswift ♬ original sound - grindcitymedia

OK, whether you love Taylor Swift or not, you have to admit that her fans (known as “Swifties”) have an incredible commitment to the fandom (and an eye for detail). Case in point: Last week on her boyfriend’s podcast, Taylor announced the upcoming release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. The news was responsible for breaking the internet, and also for spurring a ton of fan theories about the future album and her future performances. In case you didn’t know, Swift is famous for dropping “Easter eggs” that hint at things she’ll be doing in the future, such as when she kept flashing peace signs and dropping the number 2 in her instagram posts in the weeks leading up to her double album “The Tortured Poets Department” in April 2024. This time, Swifties have taken to social media to discuss potential Easter eggs that were hidden throughout her podcast appearance. The latest theory? Her constant references to sourdough bread were actually Easter eggs hinting at a 2027 Super Bowl Halftime performance. Only time will tell if that's accurate, but the enthusiasm, the attention to detail, and the hours of research that must have gone into all these fan theories is truly something to behold.

5. This dirt bike birthday surprise 

@dmndboys_

This is why I look forward to fatherhood 🔥

♬ original sound - dmndboys_

These parents didn't give their kid a birthday present—they gave him the best birthday present of all time. Not only did the setup require a lot of thought and planning, but check out this kid's reaction. You can tell this was something he'd been wanting for a long time. Going "all out" and getting such a great response in return—it's something amazing to see.


Snag your free (!!) snack bars here while this deal lasts.

@maplespetdinosaur/Instagram

The kids are alright!

The ‘90s/’00s music scene, especially genres like emo, pop-punk, and nu-metal, have been making a comeback—since the peak of COVID 19, really. Which makes a lot of sense. These styles originally emerged from a time of political and social upheaval as a way for young people to process what insanity was happening all around them and find a healthy way to let out their rage. This music still serves that purpose today, but with the added nostalgic effect of an “old-school” feel.

One teen band, called Maple’s Pet Dinosaur, has perfectly captured this gritty, retro vibe, not just in their now mega-viral song, “Lego,” but in the way they shot their music video…which just so happened to be filmed entirely on a neighbor's ring camera.

In the video, we see lead singer Maple Johns asking though the camera, “is it okay if we use your ring to make a music video, please?” to which the homeowner reluctantly replies, “Uh…yeah I guess…” (Is this part staged? Who knows? Who cares! It adds an awesome touch)

The band then immediately rocks out to a snippet from their song, which very much aligned with their ‘90s inspirations, which include Faith No More, Beastie Boys, and L7.

Watch:

Wasn’t that rad? Having it filmed via the ring cam gives such a fish-eye lens vibe, which all of us olds know is very apropos for the vibe they were going for. Many were even reminded of punk rock icons like Paramore and Avril Lavigne.

All in all, the video left viewers inspired for the future.

“Kids these days, you absolutely have to love their ingenuity. This generation rocks.”

“This gives me hope about the next generation of music. I legitimately enjoyed this song. And I can’t wait to see the whole video.”

'90s, band, music video, music, kids, pop punk Music video shot in fish-eye lens. media4.giphy.com

“Kids making garage bands a thing again is making this year a little better for me.”

In the comments section, the band shared that, like a lot of teens during lockdown, they began watching—and falling in love with— 90s/00s music videos, and were definitely trying to tap into that aesthetic for their own music. Mission accomplished.

'90s, gen alpha, kids, teens, cool, kids, alright The kids are all alright. media0.giphy.com

Pop-punk music has always been a distinct blend of catchy, dance-able (or at least headbang-able) beats paired with pretty emotionally raw lyrics depicting angst, heartbreak, and rebelling against the status quo. “Lego” certainly follows suit, as Johns said the song is a “bully diss track.”

“It’s for anyone who’s ever felt targeted and wants to fight back. A lot of songs about this topic are ‘in your feelings’ type ballads but I wanted to deliver a bully-beat down, a heavy ‘f*** you’ to anyone out there who tries to kill another person’s vibe and confidence. Writing this song gave me the strength to set boundaries and find my own people. Now I want to build that community further through this music.” (Life without Andy)

Just when you thought rock was dead, the kids prove they’ve got it handled. Give “Lego” a listen on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and more.

Are today's grandparents too hands-off?

Have grandparents become more self-oriented than grandparents in generations past? The baby boomer generation has been dubbed the "Me Generation" because after the social upheaval of the ‘60s, they began to focus on themselves, prioritizing wealth accumulation, personal growth, self-help programs, and fitness.

Now that baby boomers are grandparents, some millennials aren’t too happy that the Me Generation has taken that ethos into their golden years.

grandparents, grandmas, millennials, boomers, family Where are the grandmas? Giphy

Although we can't paint every generation member with the same brush, many older millennial parents feel that their baby boomer parents, known for being the least involved in recent history, are too hands-off as grandparents. Mother Phyllis, a popular TikToker with much to say about boomer grandparents, recently shared a video about how her parents live 40 minutes away and put very little effort into being grandparents, yet brag about how much they love their grandchildren on social media.

The crux of Phyllis’ point is that older millennials had grandparents involved in their lives, but their parents don’t have the same dedication.

@motherphyllis

Can anyone else relate?????? I should’ve said absent grandmother’s not grandparents but y’all know what I mean 🤣 #fyp #fypシ #fypage #viral #fyp #viral #millennial #boomer #momlife #mom #sahm #funny @laneige_us

“My mom comes over for her yearly visit and snaps a picture of the kids. Or sometimes she doesn't even do that. She'll just take a picture off my Facebook page, post it to her Facebook page, and say, 'I love hanging out with my grandkids so much,'" Phillis says in a video with over 200,000 views. “They're so amazing. And then her friends comment and say, ‘Being a grandparent is so amazing, it's just so great.’” Phyllis adds that when she had a child, her boomer parents didn’t show much interest in helping after her birth, saying that helping out was her husband's job.

millennials, baby boomers, baby boomer grandparents, absentee grandparents, generational complaints Some grandparents spend more time on Facebook than they do with their grandkids. Photo credit: Canva

The post resonated with many people in the comments who are having the same struggles with their boomer parents. "Their parents raised us. They didn’t even want to be parents, so they’re sure as hell not gonna be grandparents," Kim wrote. "I mean, you think having boomer grandparents are bad, try having them raise you. Generation X basically raised ourselves because they’re busy," Queen added.

A big reason why parents like Phyllis feel betrayed by their parents for refusing to be involved in their children’s lives is that they probably had grandparents who were involved in theirs. Many older millennials and Gen Xers had grandparents involved in their upbringing, providing daycare, babysitting, and making social visits, because their grandmothers were raised to be homemakers and didn’t have jobs. So their lifestyle was more geared to taking care of children. Boomer women were much more likely to have had careers and still work to this day.

@motherphyllis

Millennials just can’t understand the way some boomers act If I’m being honest ##fyp##foryoupage##fypシ##fypage##mom##sahm##momlife##honest##truth##relatable##millennial##boomer##generation##millennialstothemoon##phyllis

“Here’s the thing, though: it’s statistically more likely that your own grandmothers were homemakers, at least from the time they had children,” DeeDee Moore, a grandparenting influencer, writes for Scary Mommy. “They were home to watch you after school, or host you and your cousins for weeks during the summer. Starting with the baby boomer generation, women were more likely to be in the workforce, making babysitting grandkids and cousin camp harder to pull off.”

While parents like Phyllis have a good reason to be upset that their parents aren’t involved in their children’s lives, everyone’s situation is different, so we can’t bash all boomers for being uninvolved in their grandchildren’s lives. However, their accusation does follow a significant generational trend: Gen Xers and older Millennials, known by some as Generation Goonie, were raised in a world with very little parental involvement. So, it's unsurprising that their children have grandparents who may not be around much.

This article originally appeared in April.


A woman making a "loser" sign and a shocked cat.

There are no hard-set rules for naming a cat, but if you want to follow the current trends, give them a cute-sounding human name. Over the past two years, the top five most popular cat names have been Luna, followed by Charlie, Lucy, Bella, and Leo.

No matter what type of name it is, it can also be hard to settle on one for a new cat because it’s what you’ll be calling out for the next 12-plus years. What if you name the cat Jerry, but it acts like a Sebastian or a Michael? Then what will you do? Two friends got into a spat over naming a cat, with the new owner rejecting their friend’s suggestions in favor of a term popular among Gen Xers in the ‘80s and ‘90s.


“I found a little stray cat in front of the grocery store. Super friendly but skinny and obviously abandoned,” A Redditor with the username SpecialEggSalad wrote. “My friend was with me and kept throwing out names. I didn’t like any of them. It was Ross, Beck, Tucker, Zorro… I asked her to just chill. She was getting worked up and kept asking if she could have the kitten. [It’s] My kitty. Anyway, after 20 minutes of her, just suggesting endless amounts of names…She got mad and said, ‘Fine, call him whatever you want.’ So now the cat's name is WHATEVER.”


When SpecialEggSlad announced the cat’s name, her friend “turned red in the face and she was about to cry.” It could be that the friend hated the feeling of rejection, but if she grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s, she’d understand that being on the receiving end of a “whatever” was quite the insult.

What did 'whatever' mean to Gen X?

You see, Gen Xers were known for having an aloof attitude because, in those days, caring too much about anything was totally uncool. So whatever was more than a catchphrase was a way of life. The term became popular in the early ‘80s when Valley Girl speak expanded from Los Angeles to the world. But what began as innocuous slang evolved into something more nihilistic. In Nirvana’s breakout 1991 anthem, Smells Like Teen Spirit, where Kurt Cobain ditches any attempt at making a point in the song by singing, “Oh well, whatever, never mind.” Whatever was a way of distancing yourself from the powers-that-be, whether it was political, religious, corporate, or the media.


The term was also part of ‘90s hand-gesture culture, where people would call someone a loser by making an L with their index and middle fingers and placing it on their forehead. In Clueless, the affluent teens used two hands to merge the double Ls into a W, to signal “whatever,” with a double loser casher. Business Insider’s Emily Stewart notes that Gen X’s attitude comes from being raised as the least parented generation in recent memory. “Gen X's ‘whatever’ attitude has translated to a society that's perpetually a little ‘whatever’ about them,” she wrote.


It may be a knock on Gen Xers that they were once so nihilistic that they rallied around the term whatever, but it’s also a sign of knowing what’s important. A lot is going on in the world, and we only have so many Fs to give; it’s best to hand them out to the people who deserve them. Because when you care about everything, it’s hard to truly care about anything.

In the Reddit post, SpecialEggSlad faced criticism from commenters for naming her cat Whatever, which made it look like she didn’t care about the animal. Realizing this, she changed the cat’s name to Peekaboo. Let’s just hope the kitty grows into its name and isn’t a cat that refuses to hide, even if given an incredibly cozy cardboard box.

Image via Canva/RyanJLane

Frugal shoppers share the $20 or less purchases that have saved them big money.

Every penny counts when living a frugal lifestyle. Saving money means making smart purchases.

And even the smallest investments can have the biggest returns. From budget shopping to thrifting, frugal people know how to save money when it comes to shopping.

To help others save big, frugal people offered their best frugal advice for purchases $20 or less that have saved them hundreds of dollars over time. These are 30 purchases they've made that have saved them the most money.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"A $12 sewing kit. Instead of tossing clothes for tiny tears or missing buttons, I’ve been fixing them. I've actually been fixing my own clothes for years. It blows my mind how many ‘disposable’ things can be made useful again with just a small, cheap tool." - localkinegrind

"My wife bought a toaster oven on sale at Target for $19.99 and we used it daily for almost ten years, until someone gifted us a fancy one which broke after 2 years at which time I dug the old one out of the garage that we still use." - BigDuke

"Our little $15 rice cooker really was worth it. I'm a pretty good cook but I really haven't been doing it much in the last few years. Enter the rice cooker - just toss in some rice, heat some frozen thing or another, pop some veg in the microwave and boom, dinner. Cheaper and faster and healthier than the burrito or fast food place down the road. Just gotta keep stocked on the frozen meals we like." - poshknight123

@baddie.brad

I hope this helps :)

"Bread machine from goodwill for $3. But I would have paid full price for it too. We make bread almost daily since 2019 using the same machine. In addition we make rolls, pizzas and bunch of other stuff. I think at this point the savings are in thousands - the same quality bread goes for $4-5 where we are." - tx645

"Hair clippers. Haven't paid for a haircut in 5 years." - Efficient_Comfort_47

"Lunch box to bring your own lunch to work rather than eating out." - Tenet_Bull

"Honestly? A hardware shop near my house was closing and I bought a pack of every grit of sandpaper and it was not quite $20. This was about 15 years ago and I haven’t bought any sandpaper since. I made a joke about how much sandpaper my Dad had in his garage when he died, and then his wife said that sandpaper was actually my grandfather’s. It’s almost as if my family fears a sandpaper shortage and we hoard it. I dunno." - tc_cad

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"One-gallon cold brew pitcher. I love a fancy coffee, but not the associated costs. Now I make a gallon and it lasts me a little over a week and costs... tbh I dont even know... maybe a couple of dollars per 32 oz cup between the creamer and milk and coffee?" - pbpantsless

"Safety razor. I was spending $30 every other month for replaceable heads on my razor. Switched to a safety razor and it’s now less than $10 a year." - raccoon_at_noon

"My menstrual cup purchase in 2017 was $20 and has paid itself off. They’re a little more expensive now but still very much worth it." - in-the-narrative

"Insulated water bottle. I don't buy bottled water anymore or drinks for that matter. I can have my coffee, tea, smoothie in there. Water filter on my faucet (Pur brand) I drink the local city water with that filter and I don't buy purified water." - revelry0128

"$7 basil plant in a pot. It’s well and alive still after three years." - FredBreadBad

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Reusable grocery bags. Where I live it costs $0.10 for a bag at the grocery store. I figure I'm saving at least $0.50 per week, $20+ per year. Also less trash to get rid of, so its a win win." - Duke0fMilan

"An obd reader for my car. Check engine light came on and I was able to diagnose, make a small fix, and clear the code without driving back and taking it to the shop. I know car parts stores can read them for free, but we were out camping in rural Wyoming, so it was nice to have my own." - puhnitor

"battery charger and pack of 12 rechargeable AAA/AA batteries combo." - CarevaRuha

"Water Sensor for the basement/under sinks. Screeches and sends an alert to your phone if it detects water. It saved us when our dishwasher was leaking and when our sump pump in the basement stopped working a few times over the years." - Pr1zonMike

"Cloth napkins." - Expensive_Bear_1059

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Hair snake to keep shower drain clear. Clothes steamer to forego dry cleaning bills." - Voc1Vic2

"Huge pack of dish towels. Saves us a ton on paper towels. We still use paper towels for really gross or sticky spills but it’s cut down a ton. Bidet. Cuts down on a lot of toilet paper." - Jealous-Argument7395

"TV antenna." - switchfootball

"A fabric shaver. I paid it around $20. You can remove lint off your clothes and extend their life. You really need to be careful with thin fabrics though because it can create little holes in your clothes (learnt it the hard way lol)." - ybhgt-234ag

"A simple cheese grater allows you to purchase less expensive blocks of cheese, with no anti-caking additives." - orangezeroalpha

"A sunshade for my car windshield. I live in a brutally hot and dry part of California and have to park my car outside. The sun shade has saved my car interior from being completely destroyed by UV rays. Over 200k miles and my black interior still looks really good." - _skank_hunt42

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Hot glue gun. Solves lots of problems." - gobbledegook

"We haven’t yet reached the hundred mark but it’s certainly paid itself off- the mini air compressor that lives in my car. I got it on sale for $19.95. The gas station charges $2 to turn on the air compressor, in exact change. $2.10 if you have to tap your card. With the amount of times I’ve had to completely fill a tire (both mine and others after various screw related holes, two leaking valve stems, one set of trailer tires that sat neglected for a season), or just top it up when it looks a little low in winter, it’s paid itself off." - Birdo3129

"Bought a fantastic Lodge cast-iron pan at Goodwill for 10 bucks. I won’t need another pan for the rest of my life." - tedshreddon

"Took an online defensive driving course for $19.99 and it's saving me almost $100/mo on my car insurance for the next 3 years." - Hatty_Girl

"For me, a $15 French press. Stopped buying coffee out every morning, saved me hundreds within months." - Altruistic-Bar2459

"Dryer balls. They make my clothes soft without ruining my dryer, and last for years." - Grouchy-Display-457


Culture

19 weirdly-specific everyday things that you didn't know had names

That pleasing smell after a heavy rain is called "petrichor"

Canva Photos

Most people have no idea these extremely specific everyday objects actually have names.

Some concepts just can't be captured by a single word. They're too specific, too intangible, or just too weird to possibly be summed by a single string of letters with a meaning we all universally agree on. Or, at least, that's what I thought.

I recently learned this about something I had believed to be almost indescribable. The pleasant smell after a summer rain — you know, that pleasing, warm, earthy smell of wet soil and steamy pavement — actually has a name. It's called "petrichor". Turns out, scientists have studied the aroma and why humans are seemingly so sensitive and drawn to it.

It got me thinking about if there were other unspoken phenomena, or strangely-specific objects or concepts that actually have names. It turns out, there are a ton! Some of them are a little antiquated, others won't be found in most traditional dictionaries, but the names exist nonetheless.

Here are 19 of the most interesting things you didn't know had names. Learn these and you'll never be at a loss for words ever again:


english language, words, english, idioms, words and phrases, weird, everyday objects, funny, humor, language, slang Petrichor is the smell of wet soil and pavement after a rain. Photo by frame harirak on Unsplash

1. The space between your eyebrows is the "glabella"

A common theme in my research is that your body has tons of parts you never realized have scientific names. Who would have ever thought the small patch of skin between your eyebrows would need its own medical term?

2. The day after tomorrow is called "overmorrow"

Why haven't we been using this one the whole time? This is an older, outdated word, but it makes complete sense. Many languages other than English have a word for the day after tomorrow, and it turns out, we have one, too.

3. A question mark and exclamation mark used together is called an "interrobang"

This specific punctuation combo is used heavily in text messages and emails, or in written dialogue to denote an excitedly or angrily-asked question.

4. Handwriting that's sloppy and hard to read is "griffonage"

Griffonage doesn't necessarily refer to someone who has bad handwriting, but moreso to scribbles and scrawls that were done hastily. Have you ever quickly made yourself a note with very little care for neat writing, then had trouble reading it later? That's griffonage.

5. The stringy things that come off when you peel a banana are "Phloem bundles"


english language, words, english, idioms, words and phrases, weird, everyday objects, funny, humor, language, slang The stringy bits of banana peel are called Phloem bundles. Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash

No one tell my kids about Phloem bundles. They already throw bananas away at the sight of the tiniest brown spot; they'll never recover if they learn about this pretty gross-sounding term.

6. When you've misheard the lyrics of a song, you've created a "mondegreen"

Usually a mondegreen creates a new meaning; it's when you misheard or couldn't quite make out the words to a song or poem and do your best to fill in the gaps with something that kind of makes sense. A famous one is how many people thought the famous Jimi Hendrix song went "Excuse me while I kiss this guy."

7. A worn-down area in the grass where walkers have diverted from the sidewalk is called a "desire path"


english language, words, english, idioms, words and phrases, weird, everyday objects, funny, humor, language, slang Human-made paths in the grass or dirt are desire paths. Gordon Joly & wetwebwork/Flickr

These are everywhere! Turns out people don't like following the sidewalk around 90 degree corners and will often cut across the grass, instead, wearing a path into the dirt. Desire paths are well-studied by city planners.

8. The cardboard sleeve that goes around a hot coffee cup is called a "zarf"


english language, words, english, idioms, words and phrases, weird, everyday objects, funny, humor, language, slang The cardboard sleeve around hot coffee is called a zarf. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

A zarf is any cylindrical sleeve that goes around a hot cup to protect your hands, but these days it's most commonly used (if it's used at all) to describe those little paper things they give out at Starbucks.

9. The little dot over a lowercase i or j is called a "tittle"

I always just assumed that the dot was part of the letter, which it is, but apparently it's important enough to get its very own name!

10. Those heavenly rays of sunshine slicing through the clouds are called "crepuscular rays"


english language, words, english, idioms, words and phrases, weird, everyday objects, funny, humor, language, slang Sun beams through clouds are called crepuscular rays. Photo by Joshua Kettle on Unsplash

Truly one of the most beautiful sights to behold on the planet, I never knew there was such an official name for these beams of sunlight. The word "crepuscular" refers to something that resembles or relates to twilight.

11. The puffy edge of a pizza crust is technically called the "cornicione"


english language, words, english, idioms, words and phrases, weird, everyday objects, funny, humor, language, slang The edge of the pizza crust is the cornicione. Photo by Getúlio Moraes on Unsplash

This is a fun one, because if we're being technical, the entire doughy bread layer of a pizza is the crust. The little puffy, crescent-shaped bit at the end that we feed our dogs is its own unique entity — formally known as the cornicione. It's an Italian word meaning "edge or rim."

12. The little metal thing that attaches an eraser to a wooden pencil is called a "ferrule"

If you're like me, so much as glancing at a ferrule transports you straight back to elementary school. I can practically smell the rubber of the eraser and feel the ridges of the little metal ring — and now I know what it's called.

13. That feeling of really really really not wanting to get out of bed is called "dysania"

There can be a lot of causes of not wanting to get out of bed, but dysania usually refers to mornings when you should have gotten plenty of sleep. Whether it's feeling overwhelmed by the day ahead, still sleepy from sleep inertia, or dealing with fatigue from an underlying medical condition — I think we've all been there before for one reason or another.

14. Squeezing your eyes shut and seeing weird lights and shapes? Those are called "phosphenes"

I used to love doing this as a kid. I'd see stars, geometric shapes and patterns, and blasts of laser-like light all dancing in front of my eyes - and I never knew other people had the same experience until I was much older. Phosphenes refers to the visual perception of light without any actual light being present or entering the eyes. When you shut your eyes tight or rub them, the visual pressure on the eye stimulates it and creates these almost-hallucinations.

15. The metal cage that holds the cork on a bottle of champagne is called an "agraffe"


english language, words, english, idioms, words and phrases, weird, everyday objects, funny, humor, language, slang The metal cork cage is called an agraffe. Photo by DaYsO on Unsplash

It's funny, opening a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine is usually a sign of celebration. The bottle and liquid inside help mark the occasion, and the cork might be saved as a keepsake. But the poor little metal cage? That always gets forgotten and thrown away. The least we could do is refer to it by its given name: the agraffe.

16. The hole you put your arm through in a shirt is called an "armscye"

You've heard of shirts, you've heard of sleeves, but most people don't know that the hole where they meet actually has its own term in the tailoring world.

17. That unreachable spot between your shoulder blades is called the "acnestis"

Throughout human history, so many people have experienced an itch in this impossible-to-scratch area that we finally had to break down and give it a name sometime in the 1700s.

18. Words that mean one thing forward and another backward are called "semordnilaps"

A palindrome is a word that reads the same in both directions, like racecar, or noon. A semordnilaps is a word that means two different things backwards and forwards, which is a highly unique but very cool scenario. Some examples of semordnilaps are stressed/dessert, mood/doom, devil/lived, or straw/warts.

19. A bunch of symbols stuffed together in place of profanity is called "grawlix"

About &@*($&$# time we got to this one! Commonly seen in comic books alongside another one of my favorite words, onomatopoeia (sound words like bam, pow, hiss, boo), we're all so naturally attuned to grawlix that we can almost read it like regular English.