Lindy from Bozeman, Montana, grew up hearing her father call cocktail time at the family’s summer cabins horning hour, a kind of private happy hour for the drinkers on a beach where some neighbors abstained. The phrase hasn’t turned up in the...
Joyce, in Azle, Texas, say her grandmother used to exclaim, “That just beats a goose a-gobblin’!” whenever something awed or frustrated her. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Goose a-Gobblin'” Hello...
The Southern idiom tear the rag off the bush has been used when scandalous relationships are revealed, but it’s also applicable to anything surprising. It’s similar to “Don’t that beat all?” and “Doesn’t...
An Indiana woman is puzzled about a phrase in the old western song, “I Ride An Old Paint”: “I’m goin’ to Montana to throw the houlihan.” What’s a houlihan? You’ll find one version of the lyrics here...

