A Quebec listener asks: In the phrases it’s a girl, or it’s raining, what exactly is the it here? It’s called the weather it or the dummy it, and it serves a placeholder inserted to make the sentence function grammatically. This is part of a...
Ever been on an airplane when an infant spits the dummy? This Australian slang expression, meaning to throw a fit, comes from the Aussies use of the word dummy to mean pacifier or binky. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Spit the...
hard figure n.— «Some might call Clappy a dummy for not taking such a high-profile part in a Hollywood movie. But you’re not supposed to call him that. The proper term is “hard figure,” those in the ventriloquism trade say. Clappy is a...