When a proper Southern lady fans herself and exclaims, “I do believe I have the vapors,” what vapors is she talking about, exactly? A caller from Austin, Texas wants to know the origin of this term. Just how did it come to apply to a...
shark rodeo n.— «Shark-feeding is not illegal in the Bahamas and several local dive operators have, for many years, been safely conducting what are commonly known as “shark rodeos,” where dive guides feed sharks. I have taken part...
A listener calls from in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to say that in her native Spanish, she can use several different words for love to denote a whole range of feelings, depending on how close she is to the other person. She’s frustrated that...
escalator effect n.— «In the most likely outcome—a rise of 2.8 degrees Celsius by the turn of the century, according to the IPCC—400-550 birds could go extinct. If temperatures climb even more, that number would increase drastically. This...
soft hands n.pl.— «Cabrera will not say how much weight he has lost since last season, but scouts have agreed a third baseman with “soft hands”—baseball parlance for being able to neatly catch the ball—and a strong arm would...
parenthesis line n.— «Juvederm…ULTRA can be used for deep facial wrinkles and folds commonly known as the “parenthesis lines” around the mouth and lower face area.» —“The Juvederm(R) ULTRA Range: Next-Generation...