The terms self-licking ice cream cone, self-eating watermelon, and self-licking lollipop all refer to organizations, such as governmental bureaucracies, that appear to exist solely for the sake of perpetuating themselves. This is part of a complete...
A recent study found that some names crop up more frequently than others in certain professions. The name William is especially common among attorneys–and graphic designers include a higher-than-average number of Jessicas. Plus, picturesque...
In Australia, if someone’s socky, they’re lacking in spirit or self confidence. If someone’s toey, they’re nervous, aroused, or frisky. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Socky and Toey” I got a...
Brian from San Diego wonders whether forte, meaning a strength or strong point, should be pronounced as one syllable, “fort,” or two, “for-tay.” The word is skunked: sticklers may object to the common two-syllable pronunciation, but most speakers...
A sampling of several kinds of wine is called a flight. But why? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Wine Flight” Martha, here’s an interesting email that we got from Steve in Southern California. He says, At a...
meso n.— «At 42, he was dead. The killer: mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos.…Today, a group of people affected by the deadly disease, which they refer to as “meso” for simplicity’s sake, gathered at the Marriott in...
