Debbie from Crawfordsville, Florida, says that when she and her husband reach an impasse while working on something, they’ll say Let’s grok about it, which they use to mean “Let’s think about it.” Grok was coined by science fiction writer Robert Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land (Bookshop|Amazon). Originally meaning “to drink,” grok also came to mean “to have a profound understanding of.” By the way, Grant mispronounces “Heinlein” during this segment. It should be /ˈhaɪn laɪn/ where both syllables rhyme with “line” or “mine.” This is part of a complete episode.
What makes a great first line of a book? How do the best authors put together an initial sentence that draws you in and makes you want to read more? We’re talking about the openings of such novels as George Orwell’s 1984...
To slip someone a mickey means to doctor a drink and give it to an unwitting recipient. The phrase goes back to Mickey Finn of the Lone Star Saloon in Chicago, who in the late 19th century was notorious for drugging certain customers and relieving...
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