Eric from Millbank, South Dakota, says his grandmother used the term duke’s mixture to denote “a hodgepodge,” such as ingredients in a stew. Duke’s mixture was originally the name of a cheap tobacco that was made from leftover odds and...
Jonathan Saha is an associate professor of history at Durham University in England. His latest book is Colonizing Animals: Interspecies Empire in Myanmar (Bookshop|Amazon), which chronicles how the lives of animals were irrevocably changed by...
Inspired by our conversation about the language of leave-taking and the Southern expression Y’all come go home with us, Claire in Durham, North Carolina, calls to reminisce about her experience as a teenager in Mexico and the extended good...
Thomas in Bahama, North Carolina, says his father used to say “You can’t hang around the barbershop and not get your haircut,” which seems to be a warning about being influenced by the company you keep. Similar ideas are expressed...
crab n.— «According to Parker, it didn’t take him and Davis long to spot some “crabs”—a derogatory term for Crips—who were easily identified by their “flags,” or blue bandannas.» —“In Durham, ‘Everybody needs...
Cow Hampshire n.— «Growing up in Dover, Knowles received his undergraduate degree at UNH, and despite teaching at the University of Idaho, he eventually returned to his roots. The state he dubs, “Cow Hampshire...