Greetings, Murphys and Melvins and wedgies, oh my! In this week’s archive episode, we talk about these and other terms for that cruel prank that involves a yank. Also, funny Facebook groups for grammar lovers, the difference between...
To keep something at bay means to maintain a safe distance from it. But does this expression derive from an old practice of using bay leaves to ward off pestilence? This is part of a complete episode.
Instead of saying “Good-bye” or “So long,” a Hoosier says, his great-grandfather used to say, “Don’t leave your endgate up.” What’s up with that? This is part of a complete episode.
OMG, text messaging! It’s destroying the English language, corrupting young minds, turning us into illiterates. It’s probably shrinking the ozone layer, too. Or is it? In his new book, Txting: The Gr8 Db8, David Crystal offers a...
.5 generation n.— «Sociologists call Mr. Singh and his cohort the “.5 generation,” distinct from the “1.5 generation”—younger transplants who became bicultural through school and work. Immigrant elders leave a familiar home, some without...
Has the age of email led to an outbreak of exclamation marks? Do women use them more than men? Also, is there a word for the odd feeling when you listen to a radio personality for years, then discover that they look nothing like your mental picture...