We spoke a little while ago about quickie baths, which one listener called a Georgia bath, but we got a letter from someone who’s grandmother used to refer to it as “swabbin’ the vitals,” that last word sounding like “vittles.” This is part of a...
“What’s your name?” “I’m Puddin’ Tame, ask me again and I’ll tell you the same!” This and other rhymes, such as “What’s your number? Cucumber!” derive from French, English, and American children’s folklore that dates to at least as early as the 17th...
Glasgow shower n.— «When about to go out somewhere special for the evening my personal grooming consists of hacking at my face with the blunt Bic razor my wife keeps by the side of the bath for when the waxing business hasn’t quite done the trick...
Scottish disease n.— «Where MS comes from and what triggers it remains a mystery, but it is believed to be at least partly hereditary. It is sometimes known as the “Scottish disease” as this country has the highest concentration in the world. It...
fearty n.— Note: The Dictionary of the Scots Language also includes the spelling feardie. «Independence is the big question behind current Scottish politics. If unionists avoid asking it, they look like what the Scots call “fearties”, frightened...
freemale n.— «Sex and the City’s acknowledgement that life could be good without a man in it, particularly if you were rich, led to a whole new generation of emancipated, moneyed women shouting loudly about just how much they loved their single...