A listener remembers her grandmother’s colorful comment when someone arrived late after getting lost: You went around your elbow to get to your thumb. Lots of similar sayings in English suggest roundabout routes or overcomplicated tasks, including...
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 Pennsylvania minister is curious about a phrase her family uses: “by way of Robin Hood’s barn” or “around Robin Hood’s barn,” meaning a long, circuitous route. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Robin Hood’s Barn” Hello, you have A...
