Meg says that when she was growing up near Boston, Massachusetts, her dad used to entertain kids with a phrase that sounded like Ish biddly oten doten bobo ba deeten dotten wanotten shhhhh! That’s most likely adapted from a camp song from the 1950s called “Flee Fly Flo” that has lots of different versions, is also called “Flea Fly Flo,” and may have roots in scat singing. Parts of the song have shown up in other songs, such as Chubby Checker’s 1964 song “Cu Ma La Be Stay.” The 1944 movie National Barn Dance featured the song “Down Home Rag (Deeten Dotten Dooten),” which includes some similar-sounding nonsense lyrics. This is part of a complete episode.
Google Translate has expanded its offerings with 110 more languages, including major languages such as Cantonese, endangered languages such as Manx, and many less-spoken ones like Kallaalisut, used in Greenland, and Latgalian in Latvia. This is part...
John in Omaha, Nebraska, wonders about a phrase that encourages someone to attend an event or risk being left out or feeling uncool: be there or be square. Don’t fall for the fake etymology about people wearing boxes on their heads! Ditto for...
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