A writer stumbles upon a tiny, motionless creature on a country road and, against all good advice, takes it home. The resulting memoir, Raising Hare, is a lovely meditation on nature and our relationship to it. And: have you ever invented a fake...
Upsitting once meant the first occasion when a new mother sat up to receive visitors after childbirth and confinement, sometimes with food and a feast. William Charles Baldwin’s 1863 African Hunting, From Natal to Zambesi records another use among...
In French, tenir la chandelle means “to act as a chaperone,” though literally it’s “to hold the candle.” Another expression that means “to chaperone” is the antiquated English phrase “to play gooseberry.” This is part of a complete episode...
He can’t “hold a candle” to someone means that he can’t possibly compare to the other person. The hosts explain where this phrase comes from. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hold a Candle” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi...

