David from Matthews, North Carolina, grew up using the term cheese toastie for a type of grilled cheese sandwich. Cheese toasties are familiar in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, particularly around the cities of Decatur and Springfield. In the UK...
Deviled eggs, those hard-boiled eggs seasoned with a variety of ingredients, such as chopped pickles or pepper, are sometimes called dressed eggs, particularly in the Southern United States. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Mike calls from Bloomsberg, Pennsylvania to ask about the word picayune, meaning “petty.” Why would a New Orleans newspaper call itself The Times-Picayune? The adjective picayune, meaning “trifling” or “insignificant,” derives from French picaillon...
Vince in Norristown, Pennsylvania, is pondering whether the terms couch, sofa, and davenport are all regional terms for the same piece of heavy furniture. The short answer is that throughout the United States, the term couch is the most common...
Following up on our talk about regional terms for a small, raised section of road, such as tickle bump and belly-tickler, Martha shares a passage from The Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes, which references another term for that kind of bump...
Is that knitted winter cap a beanie, a toboggan, a stocking hat, or a toque? Terms vary by region: beanie refers to a knit cap on the West Coast, toboggan for a hat is mainly Southern, sock hat and stocking hat turn up in the Midwest, around the...