Tim in Indianapolis, a rugby referee, asks whether American football’s touchdown comes from rugby. Rugby does appear to be the source. The Oxford English Dictionary has an 1864 rugby example that predates American football, depending on how one...
What’s the trouble with using the expression “drink the Kool-Aid” to connote blind, unquestioning obedience to a politician? A caller is bothered by the grisly origin of the phrase—a reference to the 1978 mass suicide in Jonestown...
Martha discusses another word she happily tripped over in the dictionary: spanghew. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Spanghew” We were talking earlier about weird words that had stumped us the first time we encountered...
A Washington, D.C. caller wonders whether there’s a difference between the words grey and gray. Do they designate exactly the same thing? Why are they spelled differently. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Grey vs...
ricket n.— Note: The Oxford English Dictionary has one cite for this word from 1958, defining it as criminals’ slang meaning “a blunder, mistake.” «Hearn is still involved in snooker, supplying Sky with the premier...
A man whose last name is McCoy wants a definitive answer about the origin of the expression “the real McCoy.” He’s been told it comes from the name of turn-of-the-century boxing champ Kid McCoy. Is that really the case? Grant and...