On the spur of the moment means doing something suddenly or spontaneously. The expression comes from a horse rider’s spur, a sharp device used to urge a horse forward. The image is of action encouraged in the moment rather than through a careful...
A native New Yorker who lived as a boy with his grandmother in South Carolina recalls coming home late one day and offering a long-winded excuse, prompting his grandmother to declare, “Boy, you’re as deep as the sea!” She probably...
The animal called an aardvark takes its name from an Afrikaans term meaning “earth pig.” The word is cognate with the English words earth and pork. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Aardvarks” Hello, you have...
scuffle v.— «“We’re down right now and scuffling. But, we’ll come back.” The Chiefs are sixth, one-half game out of fourth.» —“Chiefs drop 2; now 6th” in Charleston, West Virginia Syracuse Herald...
litter gitter n.— «A grant from Heiner’s Bakery and matching grant from the city pays for pickup sticks, affectionately called, litter gitters.» —“Neighborhood Cleanup A Group Effort in Huntington” by Gina Long in...
whiskey plank n.— «The whiskey plank, as it is called because sailors traditionally have a drink or ten after they finish planking a ship’s hull, was cut to fit by Teddy Huff, who has been working at the shipyard about five months...