Faye in Marshfield, Vermont, grew up hearing sneezing to the truth after someone sneezed, a family expression with Yiddish roots. It comes from גענאָסן צום אמת (often spelled in Latin characters as a phrase rendered as genosn tsum emes and...
“Scat cat, your tail’s on fire” is a fun variant of “scat cat, get your tail out of the gravy”—both of which are Southern ways to say “bless you” after someone sneezes. This is part of a complete episode...
When somebody sneezes, you say “bless you” or “gesundheit,” but what about when someone coughs? Grant believes that if anything, the cougher ought to say “excuse me.” A commenter on Paul Davidson’s blog sets...
Why do we sneeze when we go from a dark theater to the bright outdoors? The photic sneeze reflex is a genetic trait many of us have, as part of the Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helo-Ophthalmic Outburst Syndrome, the backronym for ACHOO! This is...
If you sneeze at the end of a meal, you may be afflicted with snatiation. It’s that tickle in the nose you feel when you’re full. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “A Sneeze at the End of a Meal” Speaking of...
What’s it called when a fit of sneezing takes hold? Try ptarmosis, from the Greek ptarmos for “sneeze.” Or sternutamentum, meaning rapid, spasmodic sneezing. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Sneezing...