Sigrin in Albany, New York, grew up hearing her Iowa father use owly for being irritable, peevish, or grouchy, often as a gentle scolding. The word isn’t a single-family coinage. It’s chiefly Midwestern and Canadian, especially around the border...
When a car rolls slowly through a stop sign, it’s often called a California stop or a California roll. But the Midwest has its own monikers for this sneaky move, including the farmer stop, the Chicago stop, and no cop, no stop. This is part of a...
Who is Cooter Brown? And just how high is he? His name appears in lots of phrases, including “high as Cooter Brown,” “drunk as Cooter Brown,” “dead as Cooter Brown,” “fast as Cooter Brown,” and “fertile as Cooter Brown.” The earliest known...
Instead of crying “uncle,” an Indiana woman’s family cries calf-rope! She wonders if this expression of submission is unique to her family. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Calf-Rope!” Hello, you have...
Mike in Seattle grew up in Sitka, Alaska, and wonders whether there really is an Alaskan accent or just a mix of voices brought by newcomers. Alaskan English has regional pockets, but many speakers share features with western Canadian English and...
A veteranian says her colleague insists that nauseous means “contagious.” Is that right? And if you’re queasy, are you nauseous or nauseated? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Nauseous vs. Nauseated”...