A pint-sized mad scientist, a green-haired girl with a contagious sense of wonder, and a 10-year-old detective. They’re all characters in the books on Grant’s latest list of recommended books for children. Also, what’s the word for...
What a difference pronunciation makes! The United States has a Department of Defense, and an individual might take classes in self-defense. So why do football and basketball coaches say they’re proud of their . . . “DEE-fence?”...
Cataglottism means French kissing, a word built on a root connected with the tongue. A limerick by Beswan Bird puts it to work with a comic twist involving a beloved cat. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of ““Cataglossism,” an...
If you’re on tenterhooks, it means you’re in a state of anxious anticipation or suspense. But what IS a tenterhook? The answer goes back to a 15th-century manufacturing process. Also, you probably have a term for those crumbs that...
Ralphing, slang for vomiting, is onomatopoeic, modeled on the harsh sound itself, and dates at least to the 1960s. Kelsey in Tallahassee, Florida, went looking for a clever way to describe her dog throwing up on her paperwork and wondered whether...
Have a question about objective pronouns? Whom ya gonna call? Wait–is that right? Or would it be “who ya gonna call”? “Whom” may be technically correct, but insisting on it can get you called an elitist. It’s...