Skip, a sailing enthusiast from Gainesville, Florida, has been pondering radio protocols, such as the distress signal mayday!, and sécurité, which announces any of various warnings. There’s also pan-pan, repeated three times, a call that indicates...
Perhaps you have a panic monkey in your life. That’s someone who starts flailing their hands anytime they’re nervous. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Panic Monkey” I’m surprised I haven’t come across this before, but I learned the...
To throw a wobbly means lose self-control in a panic or temper tantrum, or to cause consternation by acting in a surprising way. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “What Does “Throw a Wobbly” Mean in British English?” Here’s an...
infodemic n.— «Is it an abundance of caution, or an abundance of panic and fear? An epidemic or an “infodemic?” What constitutes responsible action at a time when fear prevails?» —“The Travel Detective Responds to Joe Biden and the Swine Flu...
financial incest n.—Gloss: Telling one’s children about family financial affairs in such a way or to such a degree that they learn too much and become overly concerned. «While experts say the current financial crisis is a good way to discuss...
flap n.— Note: Perhaps related to the noun meaning of flap, “a state of agitation; a panic.” «His face lit up when he talked about a “flap,” a term used to describe a large number of UFO reports, one March sometime in the late 1990s.» —“His eye is...
