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. Transcript of “To Know From Something”...
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...
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...
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 Words. Hello...