ArchiveOctober 2016

The Dickson Baseball Dictionary

Baseball is a rich source of slang, and the Dickson Baseball Dictionary by Paul Dickson is a trove of such language. A snow cone, in baseball lingo, is a ball caught so that it’s sticking up out of the fielder’s glove. And which month of...

Spur of the Moment (episode #1454)

A caller with a 25-year-old parrot wonders: How much language do birds really understand? Plus, Knock-knock. Who’s there? Boo. Well… you can guess the rest. But there was a time when these goofy jokes were a brand-new craze sweeping the nation...

Montaigne Quote

Don’t worry, be happy — or, as a quote attributed to Montaigne goes, “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Montaigne Quote”...

She’s Porky But Not Fat

A woman in Middlesex, Vermont, says that when she was a girl her parents sometimes described her as porky, but they weren’t referring to her appearance — they meant she was acting rebelliously. This use of the word might be related to pawky...

Dragonish - Disappointed Instead of Defenestrated

Emotional Knock-Knock

Some knock-knock jokes stir the emotions, including: Knock-knock. Who’s there? Woo…. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Emotional Knock-Knock” Knock knock. Who’s there? Woo woohoo. Don’t get excited...

When Words are Hard to Recall

A bank teller suffered a brain injury and now sometimes finds it hard to remember simple words. She wants a succinct way to explain to her customers why she’s having difficulty. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “When...

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