Stand back! Farther back! It's another newsletter from "A Way with Words." A brand-new episode hit the airwaves this weekend, in which we took a look at some of the coinages on Barack Obama's name, and at "eavesdropping,"...
Hockey mom, mavericky, snow machines, and—how could we forget that other memorable phrase from the 2008 presidential campaign?—lipstick on a pig. Some new and not-so-new terms leapt onto the national stage during Gov. Sarah Palin‘s run for the vice...
HC n.— «The sport’s governing bodies, the Union Cycliste International and USA Cycling, gave the seven-day stage race a ranking of 2.HC, putting it on a par with the Tour of California as the premier cycling events in the U.S. “HC” is an...
We asked you to tell us about odd regional food names, and boy did you oblige! Martha reads some of your letters about whoopie pies, hot tamales, pretzel salad, coolers, and the frappe vs. milkshake controversy.
showmance n.— «Playing Doody (“Those Magic Changes”) and Frenchy, the “Beauty School Dropout,” the two hit it off right away. They were both hard-working, both passionate about the theater, both committed Christians who consider faith a big part of...
blood border n.— «She began by citing the history of the drinking age becoming 21 and the problems along the way. In the process of making a unified law, many states set their own drinking ages, according to Meripolski. This set the stage for...