Is there such a thing as a “neutral” accent, and if so what does it sound like? And that quirk in the way southern Californians talk about freeways. They’ll say things like take the 405 and get on the 8. Why the definite article...
Why do southern Californians refer to interstate thoroughfares with the definite article, as in the 405 or the 8? This usage is a result of the history of freeways in Southern California, and is heard in a few other places, including Phoenix...
What does out of pocket mean? The answer splits down racial lines. Among many African-Americans, if someone’s out of pocket, they’re out of line or unruly. For most non-African-American speakers, out of pocket is primarily used in...
scatter advertising n.— «Most of the advertising time on NBC’s cable channels was sold during an unusually strong upfront sales period last spring. Some of the remaining time—which the industry calls scatter advertising—will be made...
buckraking n.— «All three contracted with the insurance lobby to give speeches to industry groups for large sums of money, a practice known as “buckraking.” Though the Washington Post reported in 2002 that NBC prohibited its...
mini-tainment n.— «Jerry’s new flick is the story of a college-graduate bee who wants to move out of the hive and do something different. He ends up suing producers who steal honey. Seinfeld will premiere some 20 “mini-tainments,” as he...