The phrase he doesn’t know from (something), meaning “he doesn’t know about (something),” is a word-for-word borrowing, or calque, of a Yiddish phrase “Er veys nit fun.” This is part of a complete episode...
A man who moved to Kingsport, Tennessee, was puzzled when he offered one of his new neighbors a refill on her beverage. She said “I wouldn’t care to have any,” which he understood to be a refusal. What she meant was that she did...
Expressions like, “I don’t not like that,” or, “You can’t not like being out,” are versions of litotes, a rhetorical device used for expressing understatement. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Jane in Monticello, Florida, asks about nairn in sentences such as I don’t want nairn, meaning “I don’t want any.” The word is usually spelled nairn and is a contraction of never a one, and related to nary. It has been used for hundreds of years...
If the subjunctive tense were to disappear from English, would our language be the poorer for it? The hosts have strongly different opinions about it. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Subjunctive Tense” Hello, you...
Is irregardless a real word? A caller wants his wife to stop saying it. Good thing he loves her regardless! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of ““Irregardless“ Is a Word, but It Is Best Avoided” Hello, you have A Way with...