Some of us can’t go anywhere without a book or something to read. And one fast food joint hears you: Chipotle is now printing the work of famous writers on their paper cups. Speaking of fast food, saying that someone is two plums short of a...
The schoolroom flute called a recorder gets its name from an older sense of record, meaning to sing or repeat a tune. In the 15th century, the verb could describe birds singing, and it also had the sense of practicing a tune. The little block in the...
A Turkish proverb about listening and paying attention: To one who understands, a mosquito is a lute. To one who does not understand, a drum and zurna are little. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Turkish Proverb for...
About that inflationary language: Writing on our Facebook page, Jen Lynch inflated the word tuba, calling it a threeba. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Threebas” We were talking earlier about John Chaneski’s...
A calliope — that organ often found on steamboats or at circuses — ends like Penelope, not cantaloupe. The word originally comes from the Greek muse of eloquence and epic poetry, though the sound of a calliope today is associated more with carnival...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski conducts a word puzzle involving musical instruments hidden in various sentences. Try this one: “My cousin is a Santa Monica zookeeper whose specialty is hummingbirds.” (Keep saying it over and over until you hear...