Dayclean, meaning “daybreak” or “dawn,” is common among speakers of Gullah in South Carolina and Georgia. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Dayclean” As I mentioned, I’ve been reading up on...
Jay in Florida Home, Florida, grew up in a small North Florida community with five jook joints, places to dance, drink, gamble, and get into trouble. Jook, often juke, appears to have reached American English through Gullah communities in South...
How should news organizations refer to elected officials, past and present? There’s not much consensus among print and broadcast companies, but most organizations have their own set of rules. For example, NPR’s policy is to refer to the...
Barack Obama wants to put people to work building roads and bridges. But how about a federal jobs program for out-of-work writers? Also: why do we call it a flight of wine? How did the haircut called a mullet get its name?
Mike from Manchester, Connecticut, asks about wet behind the ears, meaning inexperienced, and wonders if it has to do with milk trickling behind a nursing baby’s ear. Probably not. A more likely explanation, made clear by Charles Earl Funk of Funk...