Andrea, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, hears all the things from friends and co-workers as a shorthand for and whatnot or you know, a way to say that the listener can fill in the rest. The phrase likely owes something to Allie Brosh’s 2010 post on...
Leslie from Hickory, North Carolina, is curious about an expression her grandmother used when the weather was particularly warm. Leslie never saw the expression spelled out, but she guesses it was hot as bringup, and pronounced with a soft g. Was...
Eric from Iron Station, North Carolina, shared his father-in-law’s expression If you’re waiting on me, you’re backing up. It’s a joking reply when someone asks if you’re ready, meaning “Don’t wait on me—I’m already set.” The saying leans on the...
An ambitious effort to install poetry in national parks around the United States features the work of beloved poets in beautiful spots. It’s a reminder that “Nature is not a place to visit. Nature is who we are.” Also, Google...
In parts of Appalachia, the southern United States, and a few other places, the expression I don’t care to is understood to mean “I wouldn’t mind to.” In other words, I don’t care to may mean exactly the opposite of...
Matt from Memphis, Tennessee, reports that he had a professor who would acknowledge a complication to a task that made it more challenging by saying That makes the cheese a bit more binding, doesn’t it? The expression to make the cheese more...
