Upsitting once meant the first occasion when a new mother sat up to receive visitors after childbirth and confinement, sometimes with food and a feast. William Charles Baldwin’s 1863 African Hunting, From Natal to Zambesi records another use among...
Have a question about objective pronouns? Whom ya gonna call? Wait–is that right? Or would it be “who ya gonna call”? “Whom” may be technically correct, but insisting on it can get you called an elitist. It’s enough to make you nervous as a polecat...
A “red letter day” is a special occasion. Martha explains how this term came to be. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Red Letter Day” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello, this is Janet from San Diego, California. Hi, Janet. Oh...
o-beer-time n.— Note: Seems to be similar to “beer o’clock” and “beer thirty,” which also mean “an instance of, or an occasion suitable for, drinking.” «It was already understood that the crowd in this mall had a large middle class commuter...
cadillac v. in baseball, to run in an unhurried, showy way; generally, to perform or operate lackadaisically, carelessly, or without worry. Editorial Note: An older meaning of “cadillac” is “to drive a car; to drive someone around in a car.”...
hang paper v. phr.— «U-Haul mechanics on occasion have falsified repair records, listing work they did not perform—a practice known as “hanging paper,” court records and interviews show. U-Haul says this is rare and never tolerated.» —“Upkeep lags...
