Dan in South Bend, Indiana, wonders about the phrase good egg, meaning “a good-natured, kind person.” The expression good egg was preceded by bad egg, that is, a literal egg determined to be undesirable by viewing it close to a candle. Bad apple, on the other hand, meaning “troublemaker,” originally referred to a rotting apple that had the potential to ruin an entire barrel of them, hence One rotten apple spoils the barrel. Variations of this idea of one item causing ruin for many more are reflected in many modern European languages, as well as in Latin. In Spanish and other Iberian languages, a similar expression translates as “A bad goat leads the whole flock astray.” This is part of a complete episode.
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...
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