A roofer in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has a dispute with his boss over how to pronounce the word roof. Most people pronounce roof to rhyme with the word proof, but some pronounce like the word rough and some pronounce it to rhyme with hoof. This is...
If you pronounce roof to rhyme with hoof, you’re not alone. Millions of people all over the U.S. say it that way, though the pronunciation with the long o sound is more common. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Roof and Hoof?”...
Dude! We’re used to hearing the word “dude” applied to guys. But increasingly, young women use the word “dude” to address each other. Grant and Martha talk about linguistic research about the meaning and uses of “dude.” Also, the story behind the...
eyebrow window n.— «Furzemoor Cottage is a pretty home with a wired thatch roof (extensively re-thatched in 2003) with wide eyebrow windows.» —“Chocolate-box pretty for Easter” Henley Standard (United Kingdom) Apr. 14, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued...
cat slide n.— «Furzemoor Cottage is a pretty home with a wired thatch roof (extensively re-thatched in 2003) with wide eyebrow windows and a “cat slide”—the term for a section of a roof that is extended to cover a lean-to or side room, so that it...
square n.— «This time last year, roof repairs generally cost $180 to $240 per every 100 square feet, or what the industry calls a “square,” said Aaron Anders, who owns a local roofing company. Today, he said, roof work costs from $240 to $300 per...

