Jim in Columbia, South Carolina, has noticed sportscasters’ use of the phrase on the season with reference to a period of time. This construction shows up in the sports pages as early as the 1880s, first referring to a team’s revenue and later to...
Will from Lexington, Kentucky, has a long-running dispute with his girlfriend. Is it appropriate to call the machine that launders your clothing a clothes-washing machine rather than just a washing machine? And why do we call the machine that cleans...
A San Diego, California, 12-year-old whose last name is Jones wonders: Why do so many African-Americans as well as European Americans share the same last name? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Common Name “Jones”” Hello, you...
The Vatican has a long list of new Latin terms invented to denote things in the modern world, such as umbrella descensoria (“parachute) and ludus follis ovati (literally, “oval ball inflated with wind,” otherwise known as rugby). This is part of a...
Outside the United States, American football is sometimes jokingly called handegg–a reference to the shape of the ball and the fact that it’s carried in the hands. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Handegg” I don’t follow sports...
What does it mean to call for tender? This British phrase for soliciting a job is rarely seen in the United States, though tender, from the Latin for “to stretch or hold forth,” is used in North America in two different senses: “to tender,” as in...