Deadpan, an adjective used to describe a flat or unsmiling affect, as in deadpan humor, derives from the use of pan as a slang term for “face.” This is part of a complete episode.
Leave a comment
1 comment
More from this show
An 1875 dictionary of the Sussex dialect from southeastern England gives a colorful glimpse of life there in those days. A beever is “an 11 o’clock luncheon.” In parts of Sussex, a ladybug is variously known as a Bishop Barnaby, a fly-golding, or...
A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, listener says when he was growing up, his family used the word schmutz as a verb. For example, when one parent reminded the other to apply sunscreen to the youngsters, they might say Make sure you schmutz the kids...
While the earliest known use of “dead pan” in print is from the sports pages of the St. Louis Star and Times in 1915, that particular 1915 quote says it originated with actors. Here’s a deep dive into its origin: https://etymology.kenliss.com/blog/?p=490