Emily in San Diego, California, wonders about the phrase to dog, meaning “to close and secure” as in to dog a door. In a nautical context, the phrase dog the hatches means to secure them with a bolt or handle designed for that purpose. This phrase...
A sneck is a kind of latch. A listener in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, says his British relatives sometimes use the term snecklifter to mean “a gift that will get you in the door at a dinner party.” This is part of a complete episode...
Sherry from Ocean Beach, California, called after watching a PBS documentary about Appalachia and hearing people interviewed use a different pronunciation from the one she grew up with. Both Appa-LATCH-uh and Appa-LAY-shuh are common, and the choice...
