Brian from Edison, New Jersey, noticed that the Mid-Atlantic convenience-store chain Wawa uses a goose in its logo, and that French oie, “goose,” is pronounced much like wawa. The store’s name comes from Wawa, Pennsylvania, and wawa was already a...
Marie in Anna, Texas, grew up hearing her mother announce, Home again, home again, jiggity-jig at the end of every family trip. The phrase comes from a Mother Goose rhyme: “To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, home again, home again, jiggity-jig...
“A few pickles short of a jar,” “a few peas short of a casserole,” “two French fries short of a Happy Meal”—this week, Martha and Grant discuss these and other full-deckisms, those clever ways to describe someone...
Why do we say “take a gander” for “have a look”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Take a Gander” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Gary Whitlock in Fallbrook, California. Hi, Gary. Well...
It’ll never be seen on a galloping horse is a handy answer to tiny flaws in sewing or quilting: from a moving horse, nobody will notice the mismatched plaid or crooked stitch. Debbie in San Diego grew up hearing her seamstress mother’s family...
Martha tries to unravel the tangled etymological web that connects gossamer, spiders, geese, and warm weather in a late autumn.