A listener from Charlottesville, Virginia, is dating a professional golfer who often plays a Calcutta with other tour members. Calcutta, a betting game going back over 200 years, involves every player betting before the tournament on who they think...
“He has soaked a hundred heads but hasn’t shaved one.” This Afghan proverb refers to someone who doesn’t finish what they start. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Unshaved Heads Proverb” Grant...
Hola, che! In this week’s episode, it’s a game about food names! (“What would you serve to a plumber?” “Leeks.”) We also discuss how to correct a new sweetheart’s grammar, “infracaninophile,”...
midnight rule making n.— «Anticipating an end-of-administration rush to churn out hundreds of regulations—a practice known as “midnight rule making”—the White House counseled agencies to restrain themselves. “We need to continue [our]...
pillowing n.— «Whitley also creates contemporary pieces of furniture. Among them, the Throne Chair, 1977, is hand worked from rare woods, including American Curly Maple, Ebony, Dogwood, Birdseye Maple and Black Walnut. Whitley employed a...
black swan event n.— «On Black Monday, October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones index, for reasons still being debated, fell 508 points, almost a quarter of its total. (The current equivalent, for comparison’s sake, would be a 3,200-point loss on...

