On an earlier episode we talked about regional differences involving the words dinner and supper, prompting a whole smorgasbord of responses. Grant reads a few of them on the air. This is part of a complete episode.
A middle-schooler who’s reading Anne of Green Gables is puzzled by a mention of “breakfast, dinner, and supper.” She wants to know if the words “dinner” and “lunch” really interchangeable. This is part of a...
stork dinner n.— «Tina Ayers, director of the obstetrics unit, explains, “The stork dinner is a celebratory dinner or lunch that we have arranged for the new mom and dad before they go home.”» —“A ‘Stork’ Dinner for...
Get out your plastic utensils and pull up a folding chair! A caller’s question about the origin of the word potluck stirs up mouthwatering memories of crispy fried chicken, warm peach cobbler, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows. Okay, the Jell...
In this episode, Grant offers a peek at some expressions he’s nominating for the American Dialect Society’s 2007 Word of the Year vote in January, 2008. Will it be w00t, subprime, or something else? You can also check out Grant’s...
session house n.— «What happened in the “session house” in Waterford—an open house party known in Dublin as a “free gaff”—can happen anywhere around the country.» —“Sick reality of what has happened that...