Hundreds of years ago, the word girl didn’t necessarily mean a female child — in the 14th and 15th centuries, it could refer to a child of either sex. Only later did its meaning become more specific. • Some people think that referring to a...
A man in Devon, England, notes that where he lives, wetting the baby’s head is a term for celebrating the birth of a baby, and involves taking the man out to a pub for copious amounts of beer. This is part of a complete episode.
Remember a few years ago when Amazon introduced that mysterious device called a Kindle? People worried that electronic readers would replace traditional books. Turns out the death of the hardcover was greatly exaggerated. Also, the expression...
doughnuting n.— «It accuses local authorities of defacing once beautiful towns with swathes of characterless new homes and retail parks, with no pubs, shops or sense of community. The process is known as “doughnuting”—named after the ring...
slug pub n.— «A dish of beer, which Conrad and Petterson like to call the “slug pub,” does away with the slimy critters. “The slugs are attracted to the beer, and they die happy.”» —“Gardeners keepin’ it...
beer tie n.— «Talk to pub landlords and one of the most insistent complaints is something called the “beer tie.” It means that not only must they pay rent to the PubCo that owns their premises—they must buy all their beer from...