In this week’s puzzle, John Chaneski imagines the possibilities in several alternate universes. For example, what show would have hired him as the Quiz Guy if he’d answered an ad to create games involving nuthatches, northern flickers...
Laura in New Bedford, Massachusetts, asks how offensive bloody is when her mother uses it as a swearish adjective, as in this bloody car won’t start. The force depends heavily on where you are: Jeffrey Hughes’s Encyclopedia of Swearing describes...
A woman in Virginia Beach, Virginia, wants to know the pronunciation of floccinaucinihilipilification, and why such a long word means “the habit of estimating something as worthless.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
bear pit n.— «In an Australian first, politicians will be able to breastfeed their babies in NSW Parliament, under landmark rules. The controversial move is sure to ruffle the feathers of some male MPs who dominate Parliament’s lower...
plastic chicken n.— «Chicken served in restaurants, hospitals and schools is still being pumped up secretly with water and proteins to increase its size and weight, The Times has learnt.…Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrats’...
pizza parliament n.— «Pizza parliament is a semi-derogatory term used to describe the parliamentary system in Italy (and other countries) where there are so many political parties that it is impossible for any one of them to have a...