The term undermine, meaning “to destabilize,” derives from the world of mining, where to undermine something means literally to “dig or excavate from underneath.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The...
Placer mining is a method of extracting gold from alluvial deposits. You might guess that the word is pronounced with a long a, but used in this context, it’s actually a short vowel, rhyming with gasser. The term derives from a Spanish word...
Clementine, a young caller from Omaha, Nebraska, wonders why we use the term run-of-the-mill to describe something ordinary. The expression originates world of manufacturing, where a run of the mill is the entire run of things being produced...
In Kansas, the gravelly residue from mines is often called chat or chert. It’s not related to the verb meaning “informal discussion.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Chat, Chert” Hello, you have A Way...
In mining country, a stripper is an huge piece of machinery churns up the soil in search of coal veins. This caused no end of hilarity one Christmas Day for a Terre Haute, Indiana, family when a new in-law was scandalized by the thought that all the...
Did you know reading poetry improves your prose? That includes hip-hop lyrics, too. Also, how linguist can guess where you come from based on how you speak. What do you call someone who picks the chocolate out of the trail mix...