Elias in Laramie, Wyoming, says his grandmother used to say Tut, tut to mean No, no. Like tsk, tsk, it’s a sound made between the teeth to show disapproval. Surprisingly, both expressions originally spelled out the same sound but they’ve...
Lisa in Virginia Beach, Virginia, says her daughter Zoe, when she was about three, asked for horrible eggs instead of hard-boiled eggs, and the family still uses that phrase. Kristen in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, says her Cuban-born mother...
Debbie from Alliance, Ohio, asks why hoot shows up in expressions such as she’s a hoot, that’s a hoot, and “I don’t give a hoot.” The cheerful sense, meaning a funny person or a good time, is likely tied to hootenanny, a casual party or impromptu...