We need a common word for “the parents of your son-in-law or daughter-in-law.” Although English has the word affines, it’s rarely used outside of such fields as anthropology or psychiatry. Other languages have more commonly used terms for “your...
Male baristas aren’t called baristos for the same reason that male Sandinistas aren’t Sandinistos. There’s a certain class of nouns in both Italian and Spanish where the definite article changes to indicate gender, but the noun stays the same. This...
If you master a second language by the age of ten, native speakers won’t recognize that it’s not your first. Even so, things like idioms or prepositions can often trip up even the most skilled second-language speakers, if their second language is...
Why do we say “pardon my French” after cursing? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Origin of “Pardon My French”” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Rachel from San Diego. Hi, Rachel. Welcome to the program. Thank you. Hi...
The French phrase au jus means with sauce, which is why it drives some diners to distraction when a menu lists beef with “au jus sauce.” A Wisconsin listener calls to say this phrase sets her teeth on edge. The hosts order up an answer fresh from...
jiggy-vous n.— « “Jiggy-vous.” That pie slice of French-Canadian patois was a favorite saying of the teenage Gordon Lightfoot. It means “all right.” » —“If you could read his mind” by Steve Hedgpeth Star-Ledger (New Jersey) Apr. 20, 2007. (source:...