Washateria, a Texas word for a self-service laundry, puzzled Erica in Indianapolis after she moved from Houston and found everyone saying Laundromat. Both words have trademark histories: Laundromat began as a brand name, and a Texas chain called...
Whoever wrote “The Book of Love” neglected to include the handy emoticon <3, which looks like a heart if you turn your head sideways. Grant and Martha talk about how that bit of affectionate shorthand can function as a verb, and about...
Hi, all! In this week's archive episode, do you know the term "bike-shedding"? How about "tohubohu"? The former refers to being inappropriately focused on the minutiae of a project instead of the bigger picture (handy...
A Houston woman says her family makes fun of her for saying “waste not, want not.” Does this proverb make literal sense? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Waste Not, Want Not” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this...
see-through building n.— «In Houston, where the oil bust of the mid-1980s led to see-through buildings devoid of tenants, brokers are wary of space proliferating in the “energy corridor,” running along Interstate 10 from...
nester n.— «Contractors often are hired by the chemical industry for specialized work and to keep costs down. Some are so imbedded in the work force they are called “nester” contractors, with long careers in one place, while...