Politicians have to repeat themselves so often that they naturally develop a repertoire of stock phrases to fall back on. But is there any special meaning to subtler locutions, such as beginning a sentence with the words “Now, look…”...
Diego from Orange County, California, wonders: How did George Washington sound when speaking? We can make guesses about his speech, accent, and dialect based on the historical context. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “How Did...
After Jonah moved from North Carolina to Grand Forks, North Dakota, his wife insisted the word he used wasn’t real when he described a plunger-style washing machine as souging clothes up and down. The verb souge, more commonly souse, is heard...
David from Dallas, Texas, grew up hearing his great-aunt use gradoo for a bit of grime, schmutz, or crud. His family assumed it was a family invention, but the word, also spelled gradu, turns up across the South and in scattered spots like...
A Georgia caller says when her grandfather had to make a sudden stop while driving, he’d yell “hold ‘er Newt, she smells alfalfa!” This phrase and variations like “hold ‘er Newt, she’s a-headin’ for...
Joelle from the Bronx, a singer in the Broadway production of The Lion King, wonders whether “Auntie” (pronounced AHN-tee) for an older woman who is not a blood relative is especially common in Black communities. That respectful non-relational use...