Old Edward’s sayings or Old Edderd’s sayings are homespun bits of wisdom that were dispensed on the radio show Lum and Abner. The show, which ran from 1931 to 1955, featured the fictional characters of Lum Edwards and Abner Peabody, who worked at the Jot ’Em Down General Store in Pine Ridge, Arkansas, and offered such timely sayings as “Society is like pie. The upper crust doesn’t count for much unless there’s something mighty good below it.” This is part of a complete episode.
When a British tabloid reporter writing about a crocodile attack needed a synonym for crocodile, he went with knobbly monster, now a joking term for similarly creative ways of avoiding repetition. Juliet and Matthew Maguire, described by The...
Sara in Camden, New Jersey, wants a word for those people who are more than acquaintances, but not quite friends. She calls them friendlies, but wonders if there’s a better term. Fracquaintance, maybe? The Danish band Mew has an album called...
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