The spanking in the phrase brand spanking new has been used as an intensifier since the 16th century and may be related to a Danish word meaning to strut. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Spanking in Brand Spanking...
Michelle in Fort Worth, Texas, says she answers nosy relationship questions with single as a jaybird, meaning comfortably unpartnered. That exact phrase isn’t common, but it fits a larger pattern: speakers detach as a jaybird from the familiar naked...
Bill from Marquette, Michigan, asks why pretty works as a modifier in pretty good and pretty bad, even though the pairing seems to defy logic. The answer lies in a split that developed over centuries. In Old English, pretty meant cunning or crafty...
A Marietta, Georgia, listener says her high school English teacher challenged her to find words that start with un- or in- that mean the same thing with or without the prefix. The list includes ravel and unravel, flammable and inflammable, loosen...
In Newfoundland, the word wonderful is often used as an intensifier for both positive and negative things. For example, a Newfoundlander might refer to something as a wonderful loss. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
A listener in Greenville, Tennessee, wonders about how the word meta went from prefix to adjective. Meta is simply a word used to describe something that’s about itself. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Getting Meta...