Trinette in Virginia Beach, Virginia, remembers that growing up in Ascension Parish in southern Louisiana, her family would use the phrases dodo the baby or let’s go dodo. Sometimes spelled dodu, the word dodo meaning “sleep” is commonly used in many parts of the French-speaking world. This word likely derives from similar-sounding French words dodiner and dodeliner, both meaning “to nod” or “to dandle,” and is also influenced by French dormir, meaning “to sleep.” There are lots of versions of a sweet French lullaby, “Dodo l’enfant do” online. This is part of a complete episode.
It’s hard to remember how to spell the names of some cities. Tallahassee, Florida, for example. Then there are towns with very few letters to remember. Y, a tiny town in northern France, has only two main streets, which come together to form...
On a busy day in the emergency room, Alisa of Dallas, Texas, told an efficient colleague that she was really humming, meaning it as a compliment. Her colleague took offense, maintaining that humming meant “smelly.” Since the 18th...
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