TagSan Francisco

California Language

It’s a brand-new season of A Way with Words! Grant has big news, too: He’s used up his last Metrocard, packed up his belongings, and moved to the Left Coast. He reports on some features of California language there that are already catching his ear...

roar of the four

roar of the four  n.— «This photo taken around 1940 shows the old “roar of the four” as folks referred to it when four streetcar tracks, two privately owned and two public, dominated the center of the street.» —“Will We Ever Get Market Street Right...

scatter advertising

scatter advertising  n.— «Most of the advertising time on NBC’s cable channels was sold during an unusually strong upfront sales period last spring. Some of the remaining time—which the industry calls scatter advertising—will be made available to...

soft-story

soft-story  adj.— «City officials have decided to speed an analysis of what to do about so-called soft-story buildings because the wood-frame structures are ubiquitous in San Francisco – possibly numbering in the tens of thousands – and probably...