Jolly on the spot is a variant of Johnny on the spot, though the former is much less common. Both phrases refer to someone who’s right there when you need them and always ready to help. Older still is Charlie on the spot, used as early as 1805. The...
Karen in Tucson, Arizona, heard biffy at a youth camp, where a jeweled plunger marked the award for the cleanest outhouse. The camp explanation, Bathroom in Forest for You, has the smell of a backronym, which means it was made after biffy already...
Gloria in Indianapolis wondered whether johnny-on-the-spot praises a helpful person or means a porta-potty after her sisters split over the phrase during a group photo. Both readings can collide. Johnny-on-the-spot, a helpful fellow who appears just...
Looking for a book to read with the kids, or maybe a guide to becoming a better writer? Why are leg cramps called charley horses? And where’d we get a phrase like pie in the sky? If you happen to be tall, you’ve no doubt heard plenty of clueless...
Grant and Martha read emails from listeners with suggested explanations as to how the term biffy came to mean “portable toilet.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Word Biffy for a Portable Toilet” Grant, a few weeks ago on our...
A San Diego listener has a weird word on her mind: biffy (meaning “toilet”). This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Biffy for Toilets, Outhouses, and Porta-Potties” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Megan from San Diego...
