If you’re nibbling on slippery Jims or sipping sweet soup, chances are you’re in the Badger State. It’s the language of Wisconsin — explained at last. Also, the famous abolitionist whose name became an exclamation, and how to respond if someone...
Christmas Fooling, the Norwegian tradition of dressing up and visiting folks around Christmas time, was once popular among young Wisconsinites. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Christmas Fooling” You know what a Christmas fool is...
In an earlier episode, we discussed linguistic false friends, those words in foreign languages that look like familiar English words, but mean something quite different. Martha reads an email response from a listener who learned the hard way that in...
Chickens give more than eggs, meat, and feathers—they give language!
hitling n.— «Attaching labels such as “racist” or even “Fascist” to anyone criticizing massive immigration or Multiculturalism has become so common that Norwegian anti-Islamists have coined a new word for it: “Hitling,” which could be roughly...
freeleap n.— «It turns out that waterfall ranking is, well, rancorous. Waterfall people—who are a lot like train people and lighthouse people—are burning up the discussion boards, debating Gocta’s place on the charts with fierce references to...