It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...
Amber in Mansfield, Texas, has a friend from London, England. After she moved to the States, the friend was surprised to find that when she’s conversing with strangers from the United States, they’ll drop in what Americans think of as...
The slang coming out of Victorian mouths was more colorful than you might think. A 1909 collection of contemporary slang records clever terms for everything from a bald head to the act of sidling through a crowd. Plus, how to remember the difference...
Accent imitation can be part of ordinary human mimicry, the same impulse behind matching someone’s cadence, posture, or gestures. Sarah, who lives in Santa Fe and is temporarily in Philadelphia, finds herself reproducing the accent of a coworker...
“Imitation is the sincerest form of television,” said the radio comedian Fred Allen. Listeners are invited to share their favorite modern proverbs like this one, as well as their favorite classics. This is part of a complete episode...
surface subway n.— «One thing that Aaron should absolutely be ashamed of himself for is his use of the phrase “surface subway.” Subways and elevated trains speed people along because they’re grade-separated. You just can’t go...