The term palaver, meaning an idle or prolonged discussion, comes from the old Portuguese term palavra that British sailors picked up at West African ports in the 1700s, where palaver huts are places where villagers can gather to discuss local...
In South Carolina, if someone offers you a broadus or something for broadus, say “Yes, please!” It’s a little extra something a store clerk might give to a customer. As we discussed in an earlier episode, this kind of “gift...
The Pope has several Twitter feeds — and one of them’s entirely in Latin! But how do you adapt an ancient language to the modern world of selfies and hashtags? Plus, pit bull lovers are giving their dogs a linguistic makeover;...
A riddle translated from Portuguese: Why is it that the bull climbs the hill? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Portuguese Riddle” Here’s another riddle. It was sent to us by listener Tom Weber, and it was...
The term Melungeon, applied to a group of people in Southeastern Appalachia marked by swarthy skin and dark eyes, has been used disparagingly in the past. But Melungeons themselves reclaimed that name in the 1960s. The Melungeon Heritage website...
If you say, “He stuck his spoon in the wall,” you mean that he died. In German, the person who’s deceased has passed along his spoon, and in Afrikaans, he’s jabbed his spoon into the ceiling. These expressions reflect the...