Inspired by our conversation about the language of leave-taking and the Southern expression Y’all come go home with us, Claire in Durham, North Carolina, calls to reminisce about her experience as a teenager in Mexico and the extended good...
There’s a story in the African-American folktale tradition about two tired mules named Pat and Charlie. Here’s a version from American Negro Folktales by Richard Dorson. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pat and...
Vanessa in Dallas wondered about hot mess after her daughter spotted it on a license plate. The Southern expression can describe someone whose life looks chaotic, with dropped balls and missed deadlines, yet who remains likable or attractive. It can...
If someone is “poor as Joe’s turkey,” he’s impoverished. A caller raised in the South has heard that expression all his life, but wonders: Who was Joe, and what did his turkey have to do with anything? Things get clearer when...