It’s the business of business jargon. Say you’re in line at the drugstore. Does it bother you if the cashier says, “Next guest”? In department stores and coffeeshops, does the term “guest” suggest real hospitality—or just an annoying edict from...
The longer the description of an item on a menu, the more expensive it’ll likely be. In The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu, Stanford University linguist Dan Jurafsky shows that with each extra letter in a menu description, the price...
The language of restaurant menus. Need a dictionary to get through a dinner menu? Research shows the longer the description of a particular dish, the more expensive it will be. Plus: What’s the best way to use a thesaurus? DON’T — unless, that is...
When comparing one item with the rest of the items in a group, which is better: more or most? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “More vs. Most” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello, this is Carol Henderson. I’m from Tallahassee...
A Texas listener recounts an ongoing debate in her family’s kitchen over the exact definition of the word spatula. Is it the kitchen tool used to spread icing and level measuring cups? Something you use to flip a pancake? That item with the plastic...
jeggings n.pl.— «The latest fashion buzz word doing the rounds is “jeggings.” Unfortunately, the idea of a buzz word precedes the item instantly giving them a bad name, but I don’t think you should let that put you off. Essentially they are denim...