If you were raised in North Dakota like our caller, you might wonder about a phrase you heard growing up: “It’s a horse apiece.” It means something like “six of one, half a dozen of the other.” She is curious about the...
Ahoy, listeners! In this past weekend's show we talked about how reports that it's the end of the line for the typewriter have been greatly exaggerated, about "founder" versus "flounder," about names for winds, and we...
Ahoy, listeners! In this past weekend’s show we talked about how reports that it’s the end of the line for the typewriter have been greatly exaggerated, about “founder” versus “flounder,” about names for winds...
skittles room n.—Gloss: at the venue of a chess tournament, an area or room where players can play informally, either for fun or to hustle each other for money. Note: A commenter remarks that he’s known this term for 40 years, which...
mom job n.— «Mommy surgery appeals both as a quick fix for stubborn postpregnancy weight and as a way to control aging itself. Dozens of doctors devote parts of their Web sites to the mom job, including Dr. Lloyd M. Krieger, a plastic...
mult box n.— «To allow the cameras to record high-quality audio, The Brookings Institute borrowed what’s known as a “mult box” from the Hilton hotel on Embassy Row. The mult box connects to the podium microphone and has two...