Step right up! It's another newsletter from "A Way with Words." This week we talked about unusual ways foreigners learn English, "play golf" vs. "go golfing," lie vs. lay, similes, "yo!," "neck of the...
Stacy in Boulder, Colorado, heard neck of the woods as Nick of the woods. The phrase uses neck in an old topographical sense, a narrow or projecting part of a landscape, much like the neck of a bottle or violin. In 19th-century American use, a neck...
job blocker n.— «It’s no wonder that many tattooists themselves refer to them as “job blockers.” How can you take seriously anyone who has a fire-breathing winged serpent / the names of their three kids in sanskrit / the logo of a...
container syndrome n.— «It’s a controversial theory, but a vocal contingent of doctors and physical therapists believe the strap-in chairs and carriers that millions of parents have come to rely on are contributing to an increase in cases...
Does your family use a special word you’ve never heard anywhere else? A funny name for “the heel of a loaf of bread,” perhaps, or for “visiting relatives who won’t leave.” In this week’s episode, Martha and...
taco neck n.— «On a Tuesday afternoon in March, I woke up with what I call “taco neck.” The muscles on one side of my neck had locked, and my head leaned to the other side, as if I was about to take a bite from a taco...