Brady evidence n.— «In a criminal context, the Governor is being denied what is called “Brady evidence”—evidence that could tend to prove he isn’t guilty. Since this is not yet the criminal trial, Fitzgerald doesn’t have to show that it exists...
Martha talks about the hoopoe, that colorful, clownish, extremely smelly bird—with a likely linguistic connection to defrauded hedge fund investors.
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...
If someone calls you a notorious singer, should you be flattered or insulted? An Indiana caller says he’s hearing the word notorious used in a positive way, and wonders whether this adjective be reserved for describing things in a negative way, as...
auto fraudo n.— «Democrats passed the Motor Voter law in 1993 (in the meeting I started hearing the old Republican name for it, “auto fraudo”), which permanently loosened the rules on mailed-in voter registration.» —“Been Caught Stealing” by David...
We hear the word maverick a lot lately, but where did this term for a stubborn nonconformist come from? Martha tells the story of the Texas politician who inspired the word, and whose grandson apparently coined another familiar English word...