Following up on our conversation about the expression Can’t died in a cornfield and its many variants, Todd from Woodstock, Virginia, adds his father’s version of this advice: Can’t never could, Won’t never will. This is part...
The phrases Can’t died in the poorhouse, Can’t died in the war, and Can’t died in the cornfield are all jocular ways of encouraging someone to persevere despite difficulties or long odds. Sometimes this notion involves the...
Gabe from Newark and Michigan asks about the fighting challenge “Put up your dukes,” a phrase that treats dukes as fists or hands. A familiar explanation connects it with Cockney rhyming slang: Dukes of York rhymes with fork, once slang for “hand.”...
Every time Martha tries naming all 26 letters in the alphabet, she only comes up with 25. But she can’t remember Y. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Can’t Remember Y” Grant, our alphabet has 26 letters...
If you say you can’t accomplish a task, someone might remind you “Mr. Can’t died in a cornfield.” This old saying is particularly evocative if you’ve ever been stuck in a cornfield, because it’s easy to think you...

