head out v. phr.— «Wheat plants normally “head out”—that’s the term for producing the grain kernels expected to be harvested in June and July—between May 10 and May 25.» —“Wheat not hurt” by Mark Fagan LJWorld...
A Hoosier says her friends tease her about the way she says doofitty when she can’t think of the right word for something. Grant and Martha discuss the long list of linguistic placeholders, including whatchamacallit, doodad, deely-bobber...
A California man remembers going to the neighborhood bakery back home in Illinois and ordering bismarks. But these days he rarely hears this term for jelly doughnut, and wonders about its origin. This is part of a complete episode.
Nominations for Word of the Year 2007 In this episode, Grant offers peek at some expressions he’s nominating for the American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year vote in January. Will it be “w00t,”...
Get out your plastic utensils and pull up a folding chair! A caller’s question about the origin of the word potluck stirs up mouthwatering memories of crispy fried chicken, warm peach cobbler, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows. Okay, the Jell...
A caller wonders about the origin of gedunk or geedunk, which means “ice cream” or “a snack bar” where you might buy sweets. This is part of a complete episode.