The idiom safe and sound tells the story of the English language in three words: safe comes from French, and sound is a Germanic word with the same root as Gesundheit, meaning “health.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Foreign...
The history of German and Yiddish speakers in the United States has lead to a wealth of calques, in which the grammar of one language is applied to another. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Calques” Hello, you have a wait with...
A Somerville, Massachusetts, listener wonders about a phrase her family uses, freeze your caboogies off. Its origin is unknown, and it’s unclear whether it’s related to another term for the backside, bahookie. This is part of a complete episode...
In this week’s slang quiz, a member of the National Puzzlers’ League from Somerville, Massachusetts, tries to guess the meaning of bottle room and shred, the latter as used in the context of snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing. This is part of...