A listener in Quebec, Canada, wonders about the origin of to fly off the handle, meaning “to lose control.” It refers to the image of the head of an axe becoming loose and flying through the air. This is part of a complete episode.
You walk into a used bookstore, or pull down an old volume at the library, and there it is: The smell of old books. If you detect notes of vanilla in that intoxicating scent, there’s a reason. Also, why some people think the word awesome is...
A Quebec listener asks: In the phrases it’s a girl, or it’s raining, what exactly is the it here? It’s called the weather it or the dummy it, and it serves a placeholder inserted to make the sentence function grammatically. This is...
mistelle n.— «Pedneault also produces an iced apple mistelle—with alcohol added to bring it to 20 per cent and served frosty, it’s Quebec’s version of ice wine—and is often paired on local menus with foie gras.» —“Quebec’s stunning...
angryphone n. a person who feels marginalized as a member of Québec’s English-speaking minority. Etymological Note: A jocular play on the word “anglophone.” (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
angry-phone n.— «That rarest of breeds in the largely French-speaking province, Mr. Galganov is a bilingual Quebecker who rallies for the rights of English speakers (Anglophones) and against secession from Canada. That makes him an...