Pam in New York City wonders if bidding someone farewell with toodle-oo or toodle-loo derives from the French expression à tout à l’heure, “see you soon.” The French connection is plausible, but the English form appears earlier than World War II...
David, a rideshare driver in Virginia Beach, Virginia, wonders about all the residential developments he sees with names containing the word quay. Usually pronounced KEE, quay is another term for “wharf.” The use of quay in these names...
Andrew from Annandale, Virginia, asks about the origin of the word boondoggle. Why does it mean a wasteful project or plain old busywork, but also denotes a kind of leathercraft lanyard made at camp? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Good googly moogly—or great googly moogly—is a jubilant exclamation for surprise, delight, or emphasis, something Lisa from Chesapeake, Virginia, remembers her father saying over a big fish at Hatteras Harbor Marina. The form was established in...
Joseph from Wilson, Wyoming, wonders: Why is subpar, or in other words under par, a good thing in golf but nowhere else? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Subpar vs. Under Par” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello...
Sandee from New York City thought that she was the only person who had misunderstood a line from the song “Ladies Who Lunch” from the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, memorably performed on Broadway by Elaine Stritch. Years later...