In the 19th century, the slang term door-knocker referred to a beard-and-mustache combo that ringed the mouth in the shape of a metal ring used to tap on a door. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Door-Knocker Beard” Here’s another...
The slang term stroppy is an adjective meaning “annoying” or “difficult to deal with.” It might be related to the similarly unpleasant word, obstreperous. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Stroppy” Rabbi Michael Burke from San Diego...
A woman who grew up in Albuquerque recalls that when one of her schoolmates got in trouble, she and their peers would say ominously, “Umbers!” This slang term is apparently a hyperlocal version of similarly elongated exclamations like “Maaaaaan!” Or...
A San Antonio, Texas, listener is puzzled about a story in The Guardian about Mavis Staples speculating about her romance with Bob Dylan: “If we’d had some little plum-crushers, how our lives would be. The kids would be singing now, and Bobby and I...
It’s hard enough to get a new word into the dictionary. But what happens when lawmakers get involved? New Jersey legislators passed a resolution as part of an anti-bullying campaign urging dictionary companies to adopt the word upstander. It means...
Knowledge box is an old slang term for noggin; one 1755 describes someone who “almost cracked his knowledge box.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Knowledge Box” Grant, do you know what a knowledge box is? Your noggin? How did you...
