How do you pronounce Henry David Thoreau’s last name? It’s not “thur-ROH” but “THUR-roh,” as if pronounced like the word thorough, with the accent on the first syllable. The author of Walden (Bookshop|Amazon) had a French grandfather who was...
Kristin in San Clemente, California, wonders why actors in old movies often hang up the phone without saying goodbye. It’s not just old movies! In fact, you can watch supercuts of lots of modern movies where the same thing happens. Although this...
What film title, when translated from its Spanish version, is known as An Expert in Fun? It’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! Now take a crack at decoding these two: Love without Stopovers and Very Important Perros. This is part of a complete episode...
Quiz Guy Greg Pliska presents a puzzle about the Oxcar awards, given to fictitious films, the names of which differ by just one letter from the names of the real 2010 Best Picture Oscar nominees. Here’s one such plot: “George Clooney plays a...
Why do we say political campaigns that are in a dead heat? Why dead and why heat? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Dead Heat” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello. Hi, who’s this? Amy Charpentier from Quincy, Massachusetts. All...