Someone who’s being rude or pushy might be said to “have more nerves than a cranberry merchant.” This idiom is probably a variation on the phrase “busier than a cranberry merchant in November,” which relates to the short, hectic harvesting season...
A lagniappe is a little something extra that a merchant might toss in for a customer, like a complimentary ball-point pen. What’s the origin of that word? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Lagniappe” Hi, you have A Way with Words...
Someone who’s extremely busy may be said to be “busier than a cranberry merchant.” What is it that keeps cranberry merchants so busy, anyway? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Busier than a Cranberry Merchant” Hi, you have A Way...
ratchet n.— «As another employee approached with the bat, the man left and said, “I’ll be back before you close and next time I’m coming through with the ratchet,” which the employees understood as slang for a handgun, according to the report...
shoobie n.— «It’s not the people, perhaps, that we’re so concerned about who start fishing in March or April and continue to fish into late November, Rather, it’s the little folks, “shoobies” as we refer to them, who perhaps fish one day out of the...
refi n.— «If you look elsewhere in the world, house prices rise, consumers then draw more on their bonds, they do “refis” as they call them in the United States.» —“Rudolf Gouws: Chief economist, Rand Merchant Bank” Moneyweb (South Africa) June 21...