Brianna from Jacksonville, Florida, says her family and friends call someone who’s causing a scene or acting foolish a weapon. A blunder or awkward moment is weaponry. The usage, which she picked up from her dad, who’s from Long Island, New...
Whether it’s a Rubik’s cube or a round of Wordle, why do so many of us find puzzles irresistible? A new book celebrates the allure and psychological benefits of brain teasers. Plus, powerful language for talking about the chronic...
Elizabeth from New Orleans, Louisiana, is pondering the way catchphrases such as Matthew McConaughey’s Alright, alright, alright catch on and get passed around. These vocal memes or prosodic memes get repeated and passed around in a way that...
Andrea, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, hears all the things from friends and co-workers as a shorthand for and whatnot or you know, a way to say that the listener can fill in the rest. The phrase likely owes something to Allie Brosh’s 2010 post on...
Noah in Burlington, Vermont, wonders about the catchphrase I’m too cringe for New York, too based for LA. As explained at Know Your Meme, the slang term based is now a positive term popularized by the rapper Lil B, referring to one’s...
A 23-year-old says that since her 75-year-old dad has now retired, he’s finally ready to learn to text and share memes. What’s the best way to introduce him to the world of social media and communicating with graphics? There are several...