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 want another glass...
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 “Litote Understatements” Hello, you...
I don’t want nairn, meaning “I don’t want any,” is a contraction of never a one, and it’s been used for hundreds of years. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Nairn” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello, this is Jane. I’m calling...
