Jared in Kaiser, Oregon, wonders about his father’s response when someone asks how he’s doing: I’m staying off the front page and I’m staying off the back page. Although this specific phrase isn’t widespread, it may have to do with the old adage that a woman’s name should appear only three times, referring to her birth, her wedding, and her death. Traditionally, the back pages of newspapers have been the place for obituaries or crime news. This is part of a complete episode.
What if, instead of being an inanimate object, a dictionary were alive? That’s the idea behind a lavishly illustrated new children’s book called The Dictionary Story (Bookshop|Amazon) by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. This is part of a...
If someone’s got melon, it means they’re smart. The expression most likely arose because of the resemblance between a melon and a human head. Several other foods are associated with having brains, including a cabbage, a gourd, and even a...
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