In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter doesn’t pour the pine,” an...
Aru in Omaha, Nebraska, says friends and colleagues tease him about his use of prepone, usually used to mean “move an appointment to an earlier date or time.” It’s a word commonly used in Indian English, is morphologically sound, and quite useful...
“Out of station” is an English idiom used in India to mean “going on vacation.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Out of Station” Do you know the phrase out of station? No, it sounds kind of jargony. Is this from a trader profession...
Are we tested on what we’ve learned, or what we’ve learnt? Grant explains how efforts to replace the “t” verb ending with “ed” gradually took hold in the United States, but not in Britain. Affiliated nations, such as Australia, New Zealand, and...
phillum n.— Note: From an exaggerated pronunciation of “film.” This term seems to be similar to the American fil-lim. «If you are looking for a “timepass phillum” this weekend, pass on this one. “Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar” is not only an intelligent film...