Nick in Palm Springs, California, wonders about the phrase Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. Springing up the 1970s, the saying been there, done that is sometimes followed by any of several variants, including got the T-shirt; worn the T-shirt; got the T-shirt, going home; and have the T-shirt, won the trophy. These phrases are associated with getting a T-shirt to memorialize an event, such as an athletic competition or rock concert. Also, going back to the 1970s, tourist attractions sold T-shirts emblazoned with such sayings as My parents went to New York City and all I got was this stupid T-shirt. This is part of a complete episode.
Susie Dent’s murder mystery Guilty by Definition (Bookshop|Amazon) follows a lexicographer in Oxford who becomes a sleuth of a different kind, seeking the culprit in a long-unsolved killing. A lexicographer herself, Dent includes lots of obscure and...
Mona from Riverview, Florida, grew up understanding that the word schmooze, which comes from Yiddish, meant simply “to mingle and chat” at parties, but when she fondly referred to her friend as a schmoozer, the friend was insulted, assuming that a...
