If you vouch for something, you guarantee that what you’re saying is true. In the early 14th century, vouch was a transitive verb that meant “to summon into court to prove a title.” Vouch was adapted into English from an Old French...
James from Trabuco Canyon, California, learns that there’s a proper way to spell the letters of the alphabet. The letter J is spelled jay and H is spelled aitch. His own name would be spelled out as jay aye em ee ess. The letter Y is spelled...
During the reign of France’s Louis XIV, you could wear a commode on your head. Commode referred to a wire frame worn on the head to support an elaborate headdress. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Wearing a Commode on...
Coming down the pike means something is approaching or in the works, and it isn’t special legal jargon, even if Lucy in Indianapolis first heard it in law school about Supreme Court opinions. The pike is shortened from turnpike, a toll road once...
McKenzie friend n.— «She was also accompanied by a solicitor, David Rosen, but he was not representing her and instead acted as a “McKenzie friend,” a legal term for someone who assists a person representing themselves...
banked adj.— «Learning of continued criminal behavior actually causes more work, so is largely avoided (as noted above at the end of the last paragraph). In fact, there are banked caseloads in the County of San Francisco that have over...