When someone’s going for a swim swim, it means they’re doing it for real, laps and all, and not just frolicking. If they’re going to a party, that’s probably going to be less party-like than a party party. These are examples of what linguists call...
Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a game called “Centricity”, emphasis on the “city.” For example, “Mickey ate all the fruit, leaving Minneapolis.” And as George H.W. Bush said to George W. Bush, “You can be president Tucson.” This is part of a complete...
A woman from Dallas wants to know about a verbal habit she grew up with in her Cajun French speaking Louisiana family. It’s use of repetition for emphasis, as in, “it’s hot, but it’s not hot hot.” Grant explains how reduplications, or a repetition...
A die-hard Tyler Perry fan is curious about an emphatic expression she’s heard in some of his movies: Hell-to-the-no. What’s up with the extra words? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hell-to-the-No” Hello, you have A Way with Words...
Proverbs pack great truths into a few well-chosen words, no matter which language you speak. Check out this one from Belize: “Don’t call the alligator a big-mouth till you have crossed the river.” And this truism from Zanzibar: “When two elephants...
bourbon belt n.— «In the United States, Campari will put more emphasis on expanding the brand outside of the “bourbon belt,” the area of the South and Midwest where most bourbon is sold.» —“Pernod Sells Wild Turkey Brand to Gruppo Campari” by David...
