If you take your finger and run it down your breastbone, and the end, there’s a little pit. In the 15th century, that little hollow just after the bone was called the heartspoon. This indentation is also called the pit of the stomach, or epigastric...
Since the early 19th century, the term collywobbles referred to “gastrointestinal distress.” This word may derive from colic, or “abdominal pain,” plus the word wobbles, referring to something unsteady, suggesting “a queasiness in the tummy.” This...
Why is the ch pronounced differently in spinach and stomach? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Differing “ch” in “Spinach” and “Stomach”” Hi there, you have A Way with Words. Hi, thank you. My name is Isabella. I’m calling from...
Japanese betsubara literally means other stomach: that mysteriously available space for something special after an otherwise filling meal. English speakers often call the same phenomenon a dessert stomach, the one that still has room for brownies...
Did you ever take lessons to play the stomach Steinway? You know, the accordion? That’s another bit of musicians’ slang sent in by a listener, along with the term bunhead, which means “a ballet dancer.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript...
A bartender wonders about the origin of the term jockey box. In his world, a jockey box is a metal container for ice. However, in some parts of the western U.S., a jockey box is the glove compartment of a car, and much earlier, the term referred to...
