Betsy in Virginia Beach, Virginia, asks about her family’s word goonus, fondly used for loose, soft flesh on people or animals, from baby thigh rolls to the flap that swings under a cat’s belly. It does not appear in the literature consulted, and it...
Lacy from Virginia Beach, Virginia, says her Lebanese in-laws often use the expression ya’aburnee when addressing an adorable child. Literally it translates as “may you bury me,” the idea being that the child is so precious one...
Gary in Denton, Texas, is looking for a word for the pout that precedes a baby’s wail. The Germans have a word for that: schippchen, which means “little shovel” and refers to the shape of that wet, protruding lower lip. This is...
There’s a proverb that goes, “Beloved children have many names.” That’s also true for pets, and listeners are discussing all the zillions of names they have for each animal on Facebook. This is part of a complete episode...
Food that fell on the floor that you go ahead and eat anyway? That’s a floorio. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Floorios” I increase my vocabulary daily and today’s word is Florio. It’s food that you...
Some countries have strict laws about naming babies. New Zealand authorities, for example, denied a request to name some twins Fish and Chips. • Halley’s Comet seen centuries before English astronomer Edmund Halley ever spotted it...
