Chris from Harrisonburg, Virginia, grew up in Pittsburgh saying jaggin around or jagging around for goofing off, teasing, or playing tricks. This classic Pittsburghese term is tied to the old verb jag, “to prick, stab, or jab,” so the teasing sense...
Even adults can use a good spelling bee now and then. It’s a good way to learn words like ostreiform, meaning “having the shape of an oyster,” and langlauf, a “cross-country ski run.” This is part of a complete episode...
A Kentucky cross-country runner had a case of hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, or fear of the number 666. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Fear of the Number 666” I was reading a news item online the other day, and I came...
What the fox says may be a mystery, but we do know that dogs bark differently around the world. In China, for example, they say not bow-wow but wang wang. Also, the story behind the British tradition of scrumping. It’s not a middle school...
In China, dogs say wang wang instead of woof woof. Wikipedia has a great list of such cross-linguistic onomatopoeias. Of course, we all know what the fox says. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Dog Says “Wang...
All languages evolve, and sign language is no exception. The British Sign Language Corpus Project has collected footage of nearly 250 deaf people across the U.K., revealing lots of changes, especially as the internet has made it easier for hearing...
