The phrase I’ll be a John Brown or I’ll be John Browned means “I’ll be damned” or “I’ll be hanged.” It’s a reference to the militant abolitionist John Brown, who in 1859 led 21 men on a raid of...
Kelly in Tallahassee, Florida, describes a game her family enjoys in the days leading up to Christmas. The goal is to be first to say Christmas gift! when greeting someone or answering the phone. It’s not just Kelly’s family. It’s...
Judy in Fort Worth, Texas, is writing some historical fiction. What are some tips for representing the dialect and vernacular of a particular time and place with accuracy? One great resource is the Dictionary of American Regional English. Another...
How did the town of What Cheer, Iowa, get its name? The word cheer was long used to indicate an emotional state of any kind, so asking someone, What cheer? was another way to say “How are you?” The greeting, What cheer, netop? is closely associated...
Salisbury steak is named for Dr. James H. Salisbury, who prescribed what he referred to as “muscle pulp of beef” for Civil War soldiers suffering from so-called camp diarrhea. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
In the Private Voices corpus of American Civil War letters, soldiers use pill and pills for bullets, including Lincoln’s pills and Abe’s pills. The slang is far older than the Civil War. Pill referred to cannonballs by at least the 1600s and to...