When speakers of foreign languages try to adapt their own idioms into English, the results can be poetic, if not downright puzzling. A Dallas listener shares some favorite examples from his Italian-born wife, including “I can put my hand to...
The Swahili phrase nililala fofofo means “to sleep really well.” Literally, though, it translates as “to sleep like a log.” Are the English and Swahili idioms related? This is part of a complete episode.
A recent fire in Grant’s apartment building has him pondering the role played by fire in English idioms. This is part of a complete episode.
Where’d we get the expression “mind your p’s and q’s”? A Barcelona native wants help understanding exactly what it means, and shares a few other English idioms that caught her up short. This is part of a complete...
bluebird n.— «Welch got rid of a strategic albratross, got a strategic bluebird, got essentially $1 billion in the hopper, and got out of the consumer electronics business.» —“Roundtable Discussion Audio Video Home...