The cloth case for a pillow is variously known as a pillowcase, a pillow slip, or a pillow cover. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Names for the Bed Linen That Holds A Pillow” Grant, what do you call the cloth cover for...
A listener in Shreveport, Louisiana, reports that after a fine meal, her father used to announce, “I have dined sufficiently, and I have been well surossified.” It’s a joking exaggeration of the word satisfied. In a 1980 article in...
A caller from Vermont says his Mississippi-born grandfather always called him a pussle-gut and warned him about an unseen wampus cat. The former, also spelled puzzle-gut, means “a fat or pot-bellied person,” with pussle related to pus, as in bodily...
A silly joke about a parrot made the rounds of 19th-century American newspapers and may be the source for our expression “cry uncle,” meaning “to give up.” The anecdote features a boastful owner who orders a pet parrot to speak the word “uncle,” but...
Whistle pig, woodchuck, and groundhog are all terms for a marmot, a type of large squirrel found in the United States. The name whistle pig, common in Appalachia, is a jocular reference to the sound they make. This is part of a complete episode...
A St. Petersburg, Florida, listener says when she used to ask her mother what was for dinner, her mom’s answer was often “root, little pig, or die,” meaning “You’ll have to fend for yourself.” The more common...