Feeling fankled? It’s a Scots English word that means “messed up” or “confused.” In this week’s episode, Grant and Martha also discuss a whole litter of synonyms for dust bunny, a slew of different terms for the...
Barbie n.— «Now, the Linux community has long enjoyed the insights of technically minded geeks, many of whom count the command line among their best friends. We would be remiss not to alert our readers, however, to a small—but rapidly...
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...
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...
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...