Quiz Guy John Chaneski puzzle this week is called “Three and a Match.” The challenge is to figure out three words from a common category—say, nationalities—that go with each of the three clues he mentions. If, for example, three clues...
It’s a brand-new season of A Way with Words! Grant has big news, too: He’s used up his last Metrocard, packed up his belongings, and moved to the Left Coast. He reports on some features of California language there that are already...
“I literally exploded with rage!” Using the word literally in this way grates on many a stickler’s ear. Moreover, if it’s okay to use the word “literally” figuratively, then what do you say when you actually do...
woolly booger n.— «A forum…gave spectators ample opportunity to observe first-hand the delicate and demanding skills required to create a bit of hook and fluff realistic enough to fool a wild trout.…Juniors worked on the...
coning n.— «Ear candling, or coning as it is sometimes called, is believed to have originated thousands of years ago—perhaps among the Egyptians—as a therapeutic way to draw wax and toxins out of the ear.» —“Ear candling a hot topic...
green room n.— «“Green rooms” are not backstage locations where actors relax and apply their make-up: it is the term used for secret meetings of about 25 ministers representing rich nations and poor, each with an advisor whispering...