The word julep, from Persian terms meaning “rose water,” usually refers to a mint-and-bourbon alcoholic beverage with a kick as strong as a Kentucky Derby winner. But one family from North Carolina has a sauce they call julep: a half-empty bottle of...
If an older man and woman spend lots of time together, going to family gatherings and the like, but they’re NOT dating, what do you call their relationship? Best friends? Dear friends? Or . . . something else? And a marathon runner who’s crossed 31...
Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn has been mulling how to classify the term BBQ, since the “Q” reflects sound, not an initial. It’s a type of abbreviation called clipping. BBQ goes back to restaurant signs and menus from the 1930’s where...
Have you ever eaten a Benedictine sandwich? Or savored a juicy pork steak? What’s a favorite dish you grew up with that may be mystifying to someone from another part of the country? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Regional Foods”...
What’s a “barbecue stopper,” and how does it differ from a “marmalade dropper”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Australian Political Slang” Grant, I was nosing around your website, Doubletongue.org, the other day, and I was...
condimaniac n.— «Condimaniac…a person affected by a mania for condiments; one whose cabinets and refrigerator doors are filled with an excess of food seasonings, e.g.,— “He’s such a condimaniac, he brought his own Dijon, grainy and violet mustards...

