What’s the official state fish of Hawaii? It’s the humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa. The name translates as “little triggerfish with a small snout like a pig,” puaʻa being the Hawaiian word for “pig.” The triggerfish is named for the large spine on its back...
Emily in East Tennessee grew up hearing her West Tennessee father say someone who did something clever had got melon. That likely works because melon is a familiar slang comparison for the human head, the place where the brains are. English has a...
Hundreds of years ago, the word girl didn’t necessarily mean a female child — in the 14th and 15th centuries, it could refer to a child of either sex. Only later did its meaning become more specific. • Some people think that referring to a...
A San Diego, California, guy says his high school history teacher used the phrase chop chop wiki wiki meaning “Hurry up!” The first part of this phrase comes from similar-sounding Cantonese words — the source also of the chop in...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a word game based on the preferences of Mookie the Cow, whose favorite things have names that feature moo sounds. That loose Hawaiian garment, for example. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Moo Word...
Is there a word you keep having to look up in the dictionary, no matter how many times you’ve looked it up before? Maybe it’s time for a mnemonic device. And: a listener shares a letter from Kurt Vonnegut himself, with some reassuring...
