Fess up: do you have a pet name for your car? How about your computer? Martha and Grant discuss the urge to give nicknames to inanimate objects in our lives. Also, why do we speak of vetting a political candidate? And what in the world is a zoo...
banana bender n.— «When speaking of Johnson, a “banana bender,” the term for all Queenslanders. It is said they spend their time putting the bends into bananas.» —“ Bend it like Johnson” by Kevin...
Remember when Bugs Bunny used to say, “Now wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute!”? A caller wants to know if cotton-pickin’ has racist overtones. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Cotton-Pickin'”...
In certain parts of the South, a small, impromptu gift is variously known by the sibilant synonyms sirsee, surcy, searcy, or circe. A South Carolina woman who’s heard the word all her life is baffled as to where it came from. This is part of a...
Olympic Village Effect n.— «These frontline toads are reproducing with each other to create what scientists call the “Olympic Village Effect.” They are making fast moving babies with bigger front legs and longer back legs...
water salon n.— «It’s impossible to talk about South Beach hotels without mentioning the Delano, Ian Schrager’s pride that was reborn in the 1990s. It’s home to one of Miami’s most photographed pools-dubbed a “water salon”...