Quiz Guy John Chaneski came across the term hugger-mugger, which inspired a puzzle with answers that involve two words, each ending in -er. For example, in the past these were attached using a sticky surface, but these days they’re made from...
The word shambles originally referred to an abattoir or butchers’ stalls filled with blood and guts. Over time, this word underwent semantic bleaching, and now simply refers more generally to “a mess.” This is part of a complete...
What does shambles mean? If your house is in shambles, it’s a mess, but before the 1920s, the word shambles referred to a butcher’s bloody bench. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Shambles” Hello, you have A...
In a previous episode, listener Jenny, who works the meat counter at Murray’s Cheese in New York City, asked for a more sophisticated job title than meatmonger or butcher. Listeners answered with cold cutslery, Carncierge, meat meister, and...