Pickthank, now an archaic and literary term, denotes a sycophant who curries favor. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pickthank” I happened across a handy word the other day, pick thank. That’s spelled P-I-C-K-T-H-A-N-K. Pick thank...
A listener reports being puzzled by a phrase she heard from a woman for whom she’d done a small favor: Did you think you’d taken me to raise? Heard mainly in Kentucky and Ohio, this phrase is a joking suggestion that the person who has done the...
You dream of writing the great American novel, but to make ends meet, you spend your days writing boring corporate reports. There’s a difference between writing for love and writing for a living — or is there? Does a heyday have anything to do with...
To spit someone a big is to do someone a favor. Try that one out on your boss! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of ““Spit Someone a Big” Idiom” A little low-level slang for you, Martha. Low-level? Well, it’s safe. Okay. I’m going to...
A listener from Dallas wonders about the origin of “I don’t cotton to,” meaning “I’m not in favor of” or “I don’t get along with.” Though it sounds like a classic Southern phrase, Martha traces it all the way back to England, where the verb to...
Martha argues in favor of the serial comma, citing a recent newspaper caption: “The documentary was filmed over three years. Among those interviewed were his ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall.” How’s that again? This is part of a...
