While watching a broadcast about the Artemis moon launch, Josh from Jacksonville, Florida, noted that amid all the precise language, scientists describing precise orbital adjustments used the word tad, as in just a tad, which seemed like the...
Bonnie in Jacksonville, Florida, is in search of a term that has to do with rain adhering under the eaves. She’s sure she once heard such an expression. There’s water adhesion and surface tension, as well as the Coanda effect, but none of those...
Robin, in Jacksonville, Florida, has long wondered why the traditional collar word by equestrians is called a ratcatcher. There’s a long history in the horse world of referring to various forms of attire as a ratcatcher, including blouses and...
The phrase fight the good fight, which means to “try one’s best” and “attempt to do what’s right,” is inspired by the second of the epistles to Timothy attributed to the apostle Paul: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have...
Carmen in Jacksonville, Florida, was told she was pretty as a speck of puff. The more common simile is pretty as a speckled pup or cute as a speckled pup. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pretty as a Speckled Pup” Hello, you have A...
In our earlier conversation about the term clam, which musicians use to refer to a “missed note” or “musical mistake,” Martha misspoke and said a similar term was used in rowing and sculling. Actually, as many listeners pointed out, that term is...