Jerome in Fort Worth, Texas, was surprised to order pully bacon for breakfast at a restaurant, only to find that the restaurant workers had no idea what he meant. He’s long used that term for bacon that’s not crispy and brittle but has a somewhat...
When Tony from Fort Worth, Texas, ordered chicken fajitas at a restaurant, the server replied Perfect! He’s pretty confident that his order was hardly outstanding, much less perfect. He’s noticed that the response Perfect! doesn’t literally mean...
Manuel in Fort Worth, Texas, wonders about a phrase he’s heard from his dad and brothers: Cut me a husk meaning “Give me a break.” The term evolved from slang used by U.S. Marines serving in Vietnam, and HUS, the configuration for the Sikorsky UH...
Patricia from Fort Worth, Texas, has been mystified by an expression her husband’s grandmother would use when trying to avoid answering a question about where something had gone. She’d say it’s gone where the woodbine twineth and the whangdoodle...
A Fort Worth, Texas, man remembers putting monkey blood on cuts and scrapes, and wonders about its name. It’s not really monkey’s blood; it’s a bright red substance more oftencalled Mercurochrome, a brand name of merbromim, or Merthiolate, a brand...
A Fort Worth, Texas, woman remembers her grandfather used to say, “You live and learn, then you die and forget it all.” She wonders if he made it up. Turns out, the phrase goes back to the 1840s and may allude to the brevity of life or to putting...

