For rain falling while the sun is shining, Elizabeth in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, grew up hearing her Georgia-born mother say the devil’s beating his wife. There are many, many variants, including the devil is beating his wife with a frying pan, the...
A caller is curious about the odd expression “to who laid the rail,” which is used to mean, among other things, “thoroughly, completely, excessively.” You can see Grant’s work on the term at the Double-Tongued...
A caller wants to know why those deep-fried balls of cornmeal and spices are called hush puppies. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hush Puppies” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Yes, hi, this is Hallie. Hello, Hallie...
mystical magical Negro n.— «Addressing issues ranging from Quentin Tarantino’s gratuitous use of racial epithets to the stereotype of the “mystical magical Negro” who appears in such films as “The Green Mile” and...
catfish amendment n.— «The exact day the first North Carolina politician hooked his thumbs in his suspenders and referred to a “catfish amendment” is probably lost to history.…The term refers to a proposed change on a...
catfishing n.— «The exact day the first North Carolina politician hooked his thumbs in his suspenders and referred to a “catfish amendment” is probably lost to history.…The term refers to a proposed change on a bill that...