“Do you think I came in on the noon balloon?” is a colorful alternative to “Do you think I was born yesterday?” The phrase pops up both in the columns of the late sportswriter Frank Finch and the 1967 novelty song, “Noon Balloon to Rangoon,” by...
Is there a word you keep having to look up in the dictionary, no matter how many times you’ve looked it up before? Maybe it’s time for a mnemonic device. And: a listener shares a letter from Kurt Vonnegut himself, with some reassuring advice about...
Grant dug up an old book of English proverbs, with gems like “Novelty always appears handsome,” and “New dishes beget new appetites.” Perhaps you can consider those before lining up for that new iPhone. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript...
vermacular n.— «Thanks to the character-inspired icons for various Mac-related applications, there’s a new word-building form of entertainment to get bored workers through the doldrums of the day. Like a contemporary version of the grade school...
blood money n.— «The impetus came from Ms. Nagle, who has long been fascinated by the Sanitation Department.…Blood money is “overtime for working snow once the novelty has worn off.”» —“Nothing’s Wasted, Especially Garbage” by Edward Rothstein New...
screwing n.— «DJ Screw made a legit production style from the practice of slowing tracks way down for a woozy, drugged-out effect. This “screwing,” which naturally couldn’t really exist too long as a singular rap technique due to its novelty...