Charlie, an SAT prep teacher in Santa Cruz, California, reports that local high-schoolers are using legit not just in the older sense of “genuine” or “acceptable,” but to mean “cool”: That’s legit. One student even uses it as a stand-in for an...
In this downbeat economy, some advertisers are reaching for upbeat language. Take the new Quaker Oats catchphrase, “Go humans go,” or Coca-Cola’s current slogan, “Open happiness.” Martha and Grant discuss whether...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski conducts a word puzzle involving musical instruments hidden in various sentences. Try this one: “My cousin is a Santa Monica zookeeper whose specialty is hummingbirds.” (Keep saying it over and over until you hear...
spit and acquit n.— «Defendants charged with low-level drug offenses under existing statutes can have their charges dismissed if they participate in drug treatment programs or undergo court supervision. But under the district attorney’s...
Santa Claus rally n.— «Stocks have lost ground since the Dow rose 19.6 percent from late November to the first part of 2009—a year-end advance often referred to as a Santa Claus rally.» —“Stocks tumble as oil falls on economic...
wet reckless adj.— «Blood tests after her traffic stop Sept. 27 found prescription drugs, but neither booze nor dope. So she was allowed to plead “no contest” to what’s known in California as “wet reckless”—that...