Tommy from Carlsbad, California, wonders about an expression his mother used when he would be busily fastidious about cleaning to the point of overdoing it. She would say he was briggling. The verb to briggle is defined in the Dictionary of American...
A man in Carlsbad, California, contends that the word ex for “a former partner” or “a former spouse” sounds too harsh. Is there a better term besides wasband? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
So, um, where do those, er, filler words come from? Discourse particles, as they’re also known, are used to fill those gaps when we’re thinking of what to say but don’t want to lose our turn in a conversation. English isn’t...
What is the difference between “adept” and “deft”? It’s similar to that between mastery and artistry. “Adept” often describes a person, as in, “Messi is adept at dribbling a soccer ball.”...
Skyscraper makes literal sense once you picture a head scraping the sky, the image Alice in Carlsbad, California saw when comparing herself with her cat. Before it meant a tall building, skyscraper referred to the topmost sail on a sailing ship...
eco-smart adj.— «The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce is getting eco-smart, as they say in environmental circles. The chamber is installing eight specialty skylights in its offices to eliminate the need for day lighting.» —“Kermit...
