Malia in San Diego is of Afghan descent, and wonders why crocheted blankets are referred to as afghans. There is a long, rich history of textile weaving in Afghanistan with repeated geometric designs, and the term afghan was probably borrowed to...
Why call it a doggy bag when it’s really for your husband? Grant and Martha talk about the language of leftovers and why we eat beef and not cow. And how old is the typical public-library patron? Plus, in Afghanistan, proverbs are part of everyday...
If you write it on the ice, what you write will be impermanent, or not to be counted on–the opposite of carved in stone. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Write It On The Ice” We got an email from Sarah in San Diego who says she...
“A new servant can catch a running deer” is a proverb from Afghanistan that aptly describes those zealous recent hires. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Afghan Proverb for New Hires” Grant, I have a proverb from Afghanistan that I...
“Every plate that is made, breaks.” This Afghan proverb means that all things come to an end. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Every Plate Proverb” Another proverb from Afghanistan, and I’m not quite sure how to interpret this...
Mehran of San Antonio, who grew up in Iran, notes that in Farsi, khaki means earthy or down-to-earth. English got the word through British military use in South Asia. By the 1840s, soldiers in northern India or what is now Pakistan were wearing a...