Mary, who grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, says her Illinois-born husband calls a tape measure a billy, a usage he learned from his father, who grew up in Canton, Illinois. English has other slangy uses of billy for long metal objects, including a...
That familiar comfort food most often called a “grilled cheese” goes by a few other names, including “cheese toastie” and “cheesewich,” the latter of which is a trademarked name. This is part of a complete episode...
Why do subdivisions and office complexes have names invoking landscapes and animals that don’t exist there? A Fort Wayne, Indiana, listener got to wondering about this after passing the “Bay View Apartments” in her hometown: there’s not...
throw-up n.— «Across the street from the doorway collage is a big, black squiggle on the side of a rundown market. Two doors down, behind some leaning pallets, are two-toned bubble-letter “throw-ups,” around the corner...
mantrip n.— « When we were ready, we loaded in to what is called a mantrip. This is the car that travels on a track and takes the miners deep into the mine. Because the ceilings are low in the mines, you have to lay back in the car so you...
pit group n.— «The white set off their wood-paneled ceilings and clean-lined furniture. It was OK until they got the sectional sofa, or pit group as they were called in the “70s.» —“Let paint chips fall where they...