Our conversation about bang out sick and bang in sick, both meaning to “call one’s employer to say they’re not coming in to work,” prompted a response from historian Judith Flanders, who notes that in the UK, there’s a...
In British English, the exercise known as push-ups in the United States goes by the name press-ups. The Spanish term is lagartijas, a lagartija being a small lizard that sometimes moves in a similar way. The English word alligator comes from the...
Why do newspaper reporters end articles with the number 30 or the three-pound-sign symbol ###? No one knows for sure, although that never stopped journalists from debating the origin of this way of ending a story. The practice arose in a bygone era...
Two more expressions that characterized 2009: El Stiffo and “drive like a Cullen.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Drive Like a Cullen” Martha, how’s your driving? It’s not bad. Not bad. Do you...
Martha and Grant discuss some other Word of the Year candidates, including hockey mom and hypermiling. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hypermiling” Hockey mom will probably be another big word of the year choice for a...
door-stepper n.— «Jonathan Ross is avoiding the tabloid door-steppers by staying in a Mayfair hotel, and only using the staff entrance.» —“Blow-dried Golden Retrievers” Popbitch (United Kingdom) Nov. 13, 2008...