Pommy, Australian slang for an English person, is often derogatory, and the popular acronym stories are probably backronyms rather than true origins. Jeff from Boones Mill near Roanoke, Virginia, grew up in Australia hearing that it meant Prisoner...
Does your handwriting look like chicken scratches, calligraphy, or maybe something in between? Martha and Grant discuss the state of penmanship, the phenomenon linguists call creaky voice, euphemisms for going to the bathroom, and the New England...
Macakeneatit n.— «Scots are known in England as the “Macakeneatits” because they want thie cake while eating England’s.» —“Rangers, Celtic and the question of survival in the English Premiership” by Stephen...
If you want to claim something—say, the front seat of a car or the last piece of cake—what do you say? Dibs? Boney? How about “I hosey that!”? The hosts talk about this New England expression, its possible origins, and its equivalent in...
Where in the world would you be likely to find sculch in your dooryard, or ask for just a dite of cream in your coffee? Martha has the answers in this minicast about some distinctive regional terms.
free vote n.— «Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, leader of the Roman Church in England and Wales, went public to insist that Labour MP’s should be granted what is known as a “free vote,” the process by which party members are allowed to...
