If you think they refer to umbrellas as bumbershoots in the UK, think again. The word bumbershoot actually originated in the United States! In Britain, it’s prolly a brolly. • Also: snow-grooming language, more than one way to say bagel...
Our Quiz Guy John Chaneski, who belongs to the National Puzzlers’ League, brought us a game inspired by the league’s newsletter. In this game, based on head-to-tail shifts, the first letter of a word moves to the back to form a new word, so if...
What’s the best term for an ex-wife’s new husband? A caller in Chico, California, is friendly with both his ex-wife and her new love, and wonders if there’s a more civil term than floozy. Other options: the second shift, and...
C-r-r-r-r-reeeeeeeeaaaaaak! Last weekend, we reached into the AWWW vault and pulled out an oldie but goodie, featuring “death eatin’ a cracker walkin’ backwards,” “graveyard shift,” “saved by the...
third shift n.— «For instance, a manufacturing partner with a contract to run two shifts per day could potentially order excess materials from the suppliers, run a third shift making the company’s product and sell that product into...