If a command begins or ends with the word please, does that make the order optional? The hosts agree that generally it’s polite to honor such a request, despite the phrasing. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Does Please...
A Texas listener recounts an ongoing debate in her family’s kitchen over the exact definition of the word spatula. Is it the kitchen tool used to spread icing and level measuring cups? Something you use to flip a pancake? That item with the...
sneak and peek attrib.— «Senator Russ Feingold disclosed figures showing the Justice Department used PATRIOT Act authority to request hundreds of so-called “sneak and peek” warrants authorizing secret break-ins into US homes and...
Humorist Roy Blount Jr. sits down with Grant for a conversation about the controversy over writers’ rights, the Amazon Kindle 2, Roy’s recent book, Alphabet Juice, “sonicky” words, and noodling for catfish. He also clears up...
AFPAK n.— Note: A blend of AFghanistan and PAKistan. «In the two-front war that Washington is now calling “AFPAK,” there’s more head-scratching going on than is immediately visible. Yes, President Barack Obama last week...
trade n.— «One of the more troubling signs for a manufacturer or retailer is when its suppliers—the “trades,” in industry lingo—begin asking to be paid in advance.» —“Some G.M. Suppliers Said to Request Payments in...