Animals leave their footprints in several English words, including chatoyant, or “shimmering like a cat’s eyes” and sleuth, which is short for sleuth-hound, a kind of bloodhound used for sniffing out prey. Pets have also inspired...
We spoke on the show not long ago about how the phrase to keep something at bay derives from hunting. A listener wrote in with an evocative description of its origin, referring specifically to that period when cornered prey is able to keep predators...
Keeping something at bay comes from the baying sound that hunting dogs make when they’ve got their prey in a standoff. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Keeping At Bay” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is...
To keep something at bay means to maintain a safe distance from it. But does this expression derive from an old practice of using bay leaves to ward off pestilence? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Keep At Bay” Hello...
bagel n.— «Burak’s dog Memphis, a beagle-basset hound cross (or a bagel, as they are called) and for whom the store is named—drags a blanket in his mouth on the hardwood floor.» —“James North comes in from the cold” by Jon...
bascottie n.— «A basset hound had been bred with a Scottie to make a “bascottie,” pronounced like biscotti, the hard biscuit usually dunked in coffee.» —“24 animals are removed from Lodi home; officers say conditions...