Seven-year-old Everett from Tallahassee, Florida, wants to know why we refer to a scrape or other minor injury as a boo-boo. Such reduplication of words and syllables is common in baby talk used to soothe a child. Also, boo-boo sounds a little like...
If you’re nibbling on slippery Jims or sipping sweet soup, chances are you’re in the Badger State. It’s the language of Wisconsin — explained at last. Also, the famous abolitionist whose name became an exclamation, and how to respond if someone...
Another overly optimistic query to the book agent at SlushPile Hell reads in part: “My dog has written a book on how to be a success.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Dog Wrote a Book” Another query letter from the website...
News reports that the makers of Scrabble were changing the rules to allow proper names left some purists fuming. The rumors were false, but they got Grant thinking about idiosyncratic adaptations of the game’s rules. Also this week, the origins of...
Who is Boo-Boo the Fool? A listener wonders if this African-American character has any relation the Puerto Rican fool, Juan Bobo. Martha draws a connection to the Spanish term bobo, meaning “fool,” and its Latin root balbus, meaning “stammerer.” The...
Renee from Indianapolis, Indiana, asks about tickety-boo, an old-fashioned expression meaning “all in order,” “correct,” or “just dandy,” after hearing it often from a former boss at an Indian corporation in Florida. The phrase became especially...
