You know that Yogi Berra quote about how Nobody ever comes here; it’s too crowded? Actually, the first person to use this was actress Suzanne Ridgeway, who appeared in several movies with The Three Stooges. A new book shows that many well-known...
Karen in Tucson, Arizona, heard biffy at a youth camp, where a jeweled plunger marked the award for the cleanest outhouse. The camp explanation, Bathroom in Forest for You, has the smell of a backronym, which means it was made after biffy already...
Michelle from Valdosta, Georgia, says that in 1976, when she started out as a circus performer, she was referred to as a first of May, circus lingo that means “a newbie.” Throughout her two decades traveling with the circus, she and her co-workers...
Do Americans use the same sign language as the British? And what do Japanese people use instead of umm? Plus, why do we vote at polling places? What goes into file 13? All this, a word quiz, commode vs. toilet, saditty and bougie, and cute stuff...
Gloria in Indianapolis wondered whether johnny-on-the-spot praises a helpful person or means a porta-potty after her sisters split over the phrase during a group photo. Both readings can collide. Johnny-on-the-spot, a helpful fellow who appears just...
Looking for a book to read with the kids, or maybe a guide to becoming a better writer? Why are leg cramps called charley horses? And where’d we get a phrase like pie in the sky? If you happen to be tall, you’ve no doubt heard plenty of clueless...