In an earlier episode, we talked about those huge insects known as gallon-nippers.We heard from Dell Suggs in Tallahassee, Florida, who says he knows them simply as gallinippers. This term for a really large mosquito goes back to the early 1700s...
We recommend books that make great gifts for language lovers, talk about footwear called go-aheads, and look further into going commando. Also, was the 2008 election a historic event or an historic event?
In an earlier episode, the hosts heard from a woman who, as a teenager, was scolded by her grandmother for wearing a skirt that Granny said was almost up to possible. The woman wondered about that phrase’s meaning and origin. Grant shares listener...
The story goes that hemlines rise and fall with the stock market. If that’s the case, then we hope it’s not long before we’re all hearing people exclaim, “Why, that skirt is almost up to possible!” An Iowa listener recalls that when she was a teen...
granny shift n.— «Some men were interned during the Troubles and no one knew when they were getting out, so often women were left to rear the children. So, it was vital that the women went out to work. Some women worked what was known as the...
granny farming n.—Gloss: a form of voting fraud in which pre-marked absentee ballots are taken to nursing homes to be used and mailed by residents. «“Granny farming” is a term for visiting retirement homes with pre-marked absentee ballots.» —“The...