Janet calls from Aiken, South Carolina, to say that her father used to ask Have you dressed your bed? meaning “Have you made your bed?” The word dress likely derives from Latin dirigere, meaning “to straighten” or “to guide,” the source of the...
Shannon Proudfoot’s tweet about thunderous epiphanies later in life prompted a response about misunderstanding the meaning of the term surgical dressing. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Misunderstanding Surgical Dressing” Getting...
A listener suggests a sartorial twist on our conversation about baby showers for dads-to-be. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Yet Another Baby Shower for Dad Name” Another thought about baby showers for men. We heard from Patricia...
Is the phrase whether or not redundant? Well, take this sentence: “Whether or not you like it, Martha is dressing as a ballerina.” Would that sound right without the or not? Now, the or not is technically redundant, but depending on the case, it’s...
A listener wonders why his girlfriend remarks “hubba-hubba” when he’s dressing up for the night. The flirty call had its heyday in the 1940s, when World War II soldiers would see a pretty lady walking down the street. Although no one’s sure of the...
whimperative n.— «The process is compared to the dressing-up of a request in the form of a question (“Whimperatives”).» —“Ein Diskussionsbeitrag zu mal, eben, auch, doch aus kontrastiver Sicht (Deutsch-Schwedish)” by Birgit Stolt Die Partikeln der...