In 1944, an Italian scientist discovered a drug that he later named for his wife. His wife’s name was Marguerite, but she went by Rita — which is why this now familiar drug is known as Ritalin. Plus, a poem about churning butter shows how a writer can draw astonishing beauty out of the most everyday of tasks. And the exclamation holy Toledo! probably refers to a city thousands of miles from the one in Ohio. Also: anapodoton, white sepulchre, why various languages have different words for with, a heart-healthy quiz, naming litters of puppies, no siree Bob!, nuthouse and nutty, deadpool and death pool, coagulated sunlight, and I feel like I’m going to hell on a scholarship.
This episode first aired February 8, 2025.
When You Don’t Finish What You… You Have Anapodotons
If you start the phrase when in Rome… but don’t finish the sentence with do as the Romans do, or say birds of a feather… without adding flock together, you’re engaging in anapodoton, a term of rhetoric that refers to the act of saying only the first part of a proverb or common saying, because you assume your listener will mentally finish the rest. Anapodoton comes from the Greek word anapodosis, meaning “without a main clause.” Anapodota appear in many languages besides English, including Japanese and Chinese.
Toledo, Ohio, Is Fine, but the Holy Toledo Is the One in Spain
There are many proposed origins for the exclamation of surprise, holy Toledo! But the most likely one involves not the city in Ohio, but instead Toledo, Spain, which has been a major religious center for centuries in the traditions of both Islam and Christianity.
The Whited Sepulchre
Debbie from Keokuk, Iowa, shares a funny story about her family’s tradition of speed-cleaning the house if guests were coming over. Her mother would declare, “Quick, guys! Whited sepulchre approach!” Her use of the term whited sepulchre alluded to Matthew 23:27, the Bible verse in which Jesus calls out hypocrites, saying that they are “like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” In antiquity, for centuries, the expression whited sepulchre was used in English to mean “a hypocrite.” Other humorous expressions for frantic last-minute cleaning include, making a lasagna, mummification, scoop-and-shove, and white tornado.
No Puppy Named Multiball in This Litter, Mr. Barker
We’ve talked before about dog rescue groups’ convention of naming litters of puppies according to a theme. Any idea why a recent litter of pups included Ramp, Slingshot, Kicker, and Flipper? They were all named for terms involved in pinball.
Cruciferous Brainfood for Your Cruciverbalist Quiz
Quiz Guy John Chaneski doctor told him that in addition to adding more whole grains and vegetables to his diet, he should also replace words in his vocabulary with healthier alternatives. For example, she’d prefer that he say That actor was really chewing the scenery. He’s a real hummus! What’s the word that he replaced with seasoned ground chickpeas?
Fit to Be Tied, But How, and To What?
If someone’s extremely annoyed or frustrated, you describe them with the idiomatic expression they’re fit to be tied. But where did this saying come from?
I Feel Like I’ve Been Over-Similed
If you’re feeling poorly, you have several options for expressing how crummy you feel, including: I feel like death on a soda cracker, I feel lower than a snake in a wagon rut, I feel like I’ve been rode hard and put up wet, or I feel like I’m going to hell on a scholarship.
No Sirree, Bob!
Chris from Kittery, Maine, wonders about the colloquial expression no sirree, Bob! or yes sirree, Bob!, which is an emphatic way of saying “definitely not!” or “no way!” The sirree (sometimes spelled with one r, as siree) in this phrase suggests that the speaker wants to emphasize the point but without being offensive, and the Bob is likely a euphemism for God, as in so help me, Bob.
Nuthouse, Nutty, and Why Nuts Are Associated With Mental Illness
A psychiatric home health worker is curious about the use of nuthouse to mean “a mental health facility.” This term goes back to the turn of the 20th century. The word nuts itself once had an extremely positive connotation, referring to anything as delicious and satisfying as these edible kernels. By the 18th century, to be nuts on meant “to be fond of” something or someone, and over time, to be nuts or nutty came to mean having extreme, over-the-top enthusiasm about something, and eventually took on the meaning of being “emotionally unstable or extreme.” The association of nuts with not being right in the head was probably also influenced by the use of the term nut, as applied metaphorically to one’s hard, similarly shaped head.
Rita, a Stimulating Gal
Methylphenidate, a mild stimulant used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, was first synthesized in 1944 by Italian chemist Leandro Panizzon. He named it for his wife Marguerite, who went by Rita, which is why methylphenidate is more commonly called Ritalin.
Coagulated Sunlight and Gilded Gravel
With memorable phrases like coagulated sunlight and gilded gravel, poem “Churning Day” by Seamus Heaney is a fine example of how poets can draw out astonishing beauty from the most mundane of tasks — in this case, churning butter.
Different “Withs” In English, Latin, and French
J.P. in Temecula, California, is a high schooler studying French and Spanish. He notes that the Spanish word con means “with” and English has some linguistically related words, such as congress, which suggests “coming together” and compress, literally “pressing together.” All these words go back to the Latin word cum meaning “with,” which appears in some English phrases, such as cum laude, or “with praise.” The roots of French avec go back to the Latin words apud hoc, literally “near by that.” The English word with once meant “against,” or “in opposition to,” a sense still seen in the word withstand, or “stand against.” The Old English word mid meant “with” as in midwife and midst, but was eventually replaced by with.
Fly Over Daisies and Settle on a Cow Pile
In Appalachia, if you ignore better choices before choosing a lesser one, such as a mate, you might be said to fly all over a daisy field and settle on a cow pile or flit like a butterfly from flower to flower and land on a cow crap.
Spell Someone Off
Sylvia in Bismarck, North Dakota, has fond memories of churning homemade ice cream with her family. When one family member offers to take over the task from another, they might say Want me to spell you? or Want me to spell you off? Both these phrases have their origin in Old English spelian meaning “to substitute for” or “take the place of.” In the 16th century, the verb spell could mean “to work temporarily in order to give someone else a rest.” The idea of taking turns at a job was sometimes expressed as working spell and spell or working spell for spell. A similar notion appears in the use of spell to mean “a period of time,” as in sit a spell or having a dry spell or a spell of good weather.
Dead Pool and Death Pool
The character of Deadpool Marvel Comics and movie fame takes his name from the term dead pool, originally death pool — originally a sum of money put aside for the family of someone who died in a high-risk race such as car racing, then later became a betting pool predicting when certain people would die. The term also denoted a payout to the family of those in high-risk occupations like police officers. The expression was further popularized by the Clint Eastwood film The Dead Pool starring Liam Neeson.
This episode is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, and produced by Stefanie Levine.
Music Used in the Episode
| Title | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Olas | Sure Fire Soul Ensemble | Gemini | Colemine Records |
| Back Home | Booker T and the MG’s | Melting Pot | Stax |
| Paint | Galactic | Ruckus | Sanctuary |
| Crazyhorse Mongoose | Galactic | Crazyhorse Mongoose | Tipitina’s Record Club |
| Fuquawi | Booker T and the MG’s | Melting Pot | Stax |
| Witch Doctor | Galactic | Crazyhorse Mongoose | Tipitina’s Record Club |
| The Other Side | Sure Fire Soul Ensemble | Step Down | Colemine Records |
