This week on A Way with Words: Restaurant jargon, military slang, and modern Greek turns of phrase. • Some restaurants now advertise that they sell “clean” sandwiches. But that doesn’t mean they’re condiment-free or the lettuce got an extra rinse...
In English, the expression keep your eyes peeled means “pay close attention” or “be on the lookout.” In modern Greek, the equivalent is ta matia sou dekatessera, literally, “your eyes fourteen.” In Greece today, if you’ve been rejected you might say...
If someone feigns ignorance, a Greek might describe him with an expression that translates as “he pretends to be a duck.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pretend to be a Duck, in Greek” Another bit of Greek slang translates as he...
In modern Greek, if you want to say something is “fantastic,” “out of this world,” or otherwise “terrific,” you can say den iparchei!, which literally means “It doesn’t exist!” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “It Doesn’t Exist, a...