Aaron in Los Angeles, California, notes while using public transit in Britain he and other passengers were instructed to alight from the front, meaning βexit the car from the front.β Alight comes from an Old English word alihtan, literally, to...
A documentary film called My Beautiful Stutter follows youngsters at a summer camp specifically for stutterers. It’s a place for finding acceptance, support, and confidence for navigating the larger world. And:, “The High Priestess of...
The word cloud comes from Old English clΕ«d, meaning βrockβ or βhill,β making it a relative of the word clod. The sense of a βhillβ or βmass of rocksβ was later applied to those vaporous hills in the sky. This is part of a complete episode.
How did quid come to be British slang for that unit of currency called a pound? It’s tempting to assume this quid is from Latin quid pro quo, meaning “something for something.” However, a more likely explanation may be that...
Sylvia in Bismarck, North Dakota, has fond memories of churning homemade ice cream with her family. When one family member offers to take over the task from another, they might say Want me to spell you? or Want me to spell you off? Both these...
