A husband and wife from San Antonio, Texas, disagree over the meaning of the word regret. Is it possible to say you regret that you never met Albert Einstein or heard Freddy Mercury in concert? Is regret a matter of having remorse for something you...
A Georgia caller says when her grandfather had to make a sudden stop while driving, he’d yell “hold ‘er Newt, she smells alfalfa!” This phrase and variations like “hold ‘er Newt, she’s a-headin’ for the pea patch!” and “hold ‘er Newt, she’s headin’...
Biting the bit, heard by Christina in Oakland on the BBC in a political story, may overlap with champing at the bit, meaning eager or raring to go. Horse tack suggests another possible shade in meaning. A horse that bites hard or gnashes at the bit...
To throw a wobbly means lose self-control in a panic or temper tantrum, or to cause consternation by acting in a surprising way. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “What Does “Throw a Wobbly” Mean in British English?” Here’s an...
Cancun account n.— «KissTrust provides grantors with a measure of control that is not offered by Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) accounts and Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) accounts. “In the industry, UGMAs and UTMAs are jokingly...
hoss-pinch n.— «To those of you who do not know what a “hoss-pinch” is, it is when somebody older than your grandmother has been working for many years in the fields, has used a “rub-board” for years to wash clothes and has soft motherly hands...

