Whom you gonna call about discrepancies regarding who and whom? Grant and Martha, that’s who. Although whom to contact is a correct use of whom, it’s fast becoming obsolete, with growing numbers of people viewing it as elitist, effete...
What does it mean to redd up the home? This phrase is most common in Pennsylvania. It reflects the presence of early Scots-Irish settlers there. The expression means to “pick up” or “tidy up.” This is part of a complete...
Is it fussy and pretentious to use the word whom instead of who? If you think so, you’ll be heartened by writer Calvin Trillin’s observation on the difference between whom and who: “As far as I’m concerned, whom is a word...
Oh no you di-int! The linguistic term for what happens when someone pronounces didn’t as “di-int,” or Martin as Mar-in without the t sound, is called glottalization. Instead of making a t sound with the tongue behind the teeth, a...
If something’s larrupin’ good, it’s spankin’ good or thumpin’ good. It comes from the word larrup, a verb meaning “to beat or thrash.” This is part of a complete episode.
What does out of pocket mean? The answer splits down racial lines. Among many African-Americans, if someone’s out of pocket, they’re out of line or unruly. For most non-African-American speakers, out of pocket is primarily used in...