Pat from Eureka in the far north of California wonders why American English uses bangs for the hair across the forehead, where British English has fringe. The U.S. term traces to bang meaning “abruptly” or “straight across,” as in hair cut bang off...
Why do we refer to people of questionable sanity as nuts, nutty, or nut-cases? In the early 1600s, a nut was considered something “pleasing” or “delightful.” Its meaning then transferred to someone who liked something...
Remember those children’s classics, the Velveteen Rabbi and The Little Price? The Twitterverse is abound with these books with a letter missing. And it turns out there’s some pimping going on in our hospitals, but it’s not what...
What does cheeky mean? How about the words twee and naff? A British ex-pat says she finds it hard to convey the nuances of these adjectives to her American friends. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “British Terms” Hi...
If you preface a statement with “I’m not trying to be racist, but…” does that then make it okay? Is there a term for such disclaimer? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Verbal Disclaimers” Hello...
“Who is ‘she’? The cat’s mother?” A Davis, California, man remembers his mother’s indignant use of this expression, and he’s curious about the origin. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
