When someone says He didn’t lick that off the grass, it means he’s inherited a behavior from relatives or picked it up from those around them. This phrase is particularly common in Northern Ireland. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
In this downbeat economy, some advertisers are reaching for upbeat language. Take the new Quaker Oats catchphrase, “Go humans go,” or Coca-Cola’s current slogan, “Open happiness.” Martha and Grant discuss whether chirpy, happy ad copy can go too far...
If you’re doing a hasty, haphazard job, you’re said to do it with “a lick and a promise.” What’s the origin of that expression? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “A Lick and a Promise” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi. Hi, who’s...
lick n.— «Many folks in the rest of the country wonder why anyone would want to live in such a flood-prone place. Luke becomes visibly tense at the subject and responds, “It’s a way of life,” referring to living on the water. “The new buildings are...
green broke adj.— «The afflicted victim has the urge to buy a horse and the only way to lick the dreaded malady is to attend a horse sale.…Since the subject had been brought up I asked in a quieter voice, “Is he broke?” The fat man replied that he...
lip-licker’s dermatitis n.— «When you lick your lips, the temporary moisture evaporates, leaving the lips further dehydrated. Too much moisture around the lips can sometimes lead to what’s commonly called lip-licker’s dermatitis—a rash that...
