What do you call it when you roll past a stop sign without coming to a complete stop? A California stop, a Michigan stop — or something else? And if someone calls you a voracious reader, would you be flattered or insulted? Also, Puddin’ Tame, the...
Leah from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, asks why the peninsula shared by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia is called Delmarva. The name is a geographic portmanteau, built from Del-, mar-, and -va, much like nearby blended place names such as Delmar and...
If you’re an empty nester, you’ve probably wondered about a term for one’s grown offspring. Do you use the term adult children? How about kid-ults? Since the 1960’s, the term has also been used in the marketing and...
What do you call a gift that turns into a hassle, like a gift card for a store not in your area, or one with a pressing expiration date? A New York caller suggests the term gaft. Another possibility is white elephant, a term derived from the story...
you suffer from restless nights of tossing and turning, you may have a case of the mollycobwobbles. A listener shares this hand-me-down term from her grandmother. Grant explains she may well have combined two English terms dating about 150 years...
What are the college kids up to these days? Apparently, they’re busy at darties, or “day parties.” Martha shares this collegiate portmanteau from Emily Grier’s list. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...