The expression hell’s half acre denotes a small patch of land or a place that’s otherwise undesirable. It has been around for a century and a half. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hell’s Half Acre...
A wine expert with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics and a minor in French wonders about the origin of the term sommelier. It shares a root with sumpter, meaning “pack animal.” Sommelier used to refer generally to the person in charge of the...
Whether that bag for personal belongings is a purse, handbag, or pocketbook appears to be less about region than generation. Wally in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, grew up in Philadelphia saying pocketbook, but a Florida acquaintance knew the same sort...