Why do southern Californians refer to interstate thoroughfares with the definite article, as in the 405 or the 8? This usage is a result of the history of freeways in Southern California, and is heard in a few other places, including Phoenix...
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo is grammatical, even if nobody would say it outside a linguistic stunt. The trick is polysemy: buffalo can mean bison, bully or to intimidate, or refer to Buffalo, New York, with some...
A former resident of Buffalo, New York, puzzles over a strange word in a 12-year-old personals ad. What exactly is a “paratereseomaniac with extensive knowledge of osculation”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
In our latest online-only episode, Martha’s been putting together a collection of your favorite collective nouns and Grant joins her to swat around a caller’s question about what to call a game of tennis when you have only three players...
playoff beard n.— «Legend has it the playoff beard has been wooing woman since the late 1970’s. It’s simple; grow a beard during hockey playoffs and don’t shave it until you get the cup. “It’s all about a little competition of who...