A woman in Eureka, California, is curious about the term bailiwick. It comes from a Middle English word for bailiff, and wik, a Middle English word that means dwelling and is related to several English place names, such as Gatwick and Norwich. This...
Frank in Coronado, California, wondered about bailiwick after hearing an attorney say that something wasn’t his bailiwick. The word combines bailiff with wick, an old term for a farm or village. In Middle English, a bailiff was a public...
David from Greenwich, Connecticut, asks about “fish or cut bait,” an idiom used when someone needs to make a choice rather than keep stalling. One interpretation treats “cut bait” as quitting fishing altogether and moving on to something else...
bowling party n.— Note: There’s little evidence that this term is used by anyone other than police. «Police said many teens are having what is known as “bowling parties,” where assorted prescription pills are placed in a big bowl...
