A Dallas, Texas, woman and her friends often use the expression All the things to mean something like and whatnot or as a way to signal a kind of mutual understanding, suggesting something similar to the phrase you know. This sense probably comes...
In the U.S. the verb mooch means “to get something without paying for it.” In the UK, mooch means “window shopping.” Linguist Lynne Murphy writes about this and other differences in her helpful blog, Separated by a Common...
The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English by linguist Lynne Murphy is a trove of information about differences between these two versions of English. Murphy’s blog, Separated by a Common Language, is...
Step into a traditional English pub, it’ll be a while before everyone knows your name. A long while, in fact. The rules of conversational engagement are different in the UK from what you’d find in a place like Cheers. Kate Fox’s...
The disturbing sensation you feel when almost-human characters seem downright creepy is called the uncanny valley. Speaking of creepy, do you know someone with a morbid fear of clowns? There’s a term for that, too. Why do politicians suspend a...
tut n.—Gloss: Abbreviation for “tutorial.” «A good friend (AndroidSamurai) wrote up a very nice tut for you guys.» —“Android 101″ by Haykuro Haykuro’s blog Apr., 2009. (source: Double-Tongued...