When plucked from a garden catalog and scattered on a page, the names of flower, fruit, and vegetable seeds can lead to surprisingly sexy poetry. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Sensual Poetry of Seed Catalogs”...
Jane in Austin, Texas, is curious about the expression how the cow ate the cabbage, meaning to give someone a talking-to. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “How the Cow Ate the Cabbage” Hello, you have A Way with Words...
The phrase “don’t cabbage that,” meaning “don’t steal that,” may derive from the old practice of tailors’ employees taking scraps of leftover fabric, which, gathered up in one’s hands, could resemble a...
The saying “I don’t chew my cabbage twice,” means I’m not going to repeat myself. The ancient Romans, by the way, ate cabbage as a protection against hangovers, but detested the smell of twice-cooked cabbage. This is part of...
An old expression from Yorkshire: I’m not as green as I am cabbage-looking, meaning, “I may look new to this, but I’m not.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Not as Green as Cabbage-Looking” Have...
Tracy from Sherman, Texas, wonders why her dad always used cabbage as a verb to mean “to pilfer or swipe.” This term goes back to at least the 18th century, when the verb to cabbage had to do with employee theft. Specifically, it...