Mark in Bismarck, North Dakota, spent years as a sailor, and wonders about the term sea painter, meaning “a rope attached to a lifeboat.” Why painter? The word may derive from Middle French pendeur meaning “a kind of rope that hangs,” literally...
Responding to our conversation about a word to denote the exact halfway point between deep depression and euphoria, a listener in Libreville, Gabon, suggests placid. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Halfway Between Depressed and...
Martha and Grant revisit a listener term for a particular doughnut, known as a “Bismark,” and share other listener mail about the “Bismarks” where they reside. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bismark Doughnuts” Hey, Grant, you...
A California man remembers going to the neighborhood bakery back home in Illinois and ordering bismarks. But these days he rarely hears this term for jelly doughnut, and wonders about its origin. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...