Barack Obama wants to put people to work building roads and bridges. But how about a federal jobs program for out-of-work writers? Also: why do we call it a flight of wine? How did the haircut called a mullet get its name?
Martha explains the story behind the expression “richer than Bim Gump.” Find out more about the long-running comic strip that inspired it here. This is part of a complete episode.
What do you call the strip of grass between the street and the sidewalk? Depending on where you live, you may call it a tree lawn, a berm, a city strip, the parking, or one of a host of other regional terms for it. In a small part of the country...
Howdy and happy new year! It's another newsletter from "A Way with Words." Last week there was no newsletter as we celebrated the new year by hauling our dictionaries out of the low-hanging winter sun. We wish they were...
belly wadding n.— «In the cowboy movies we often see cow punchers and gunfighters pull out what appears to be a short strip of leather and chew away on it—somewhat of a substitute for ribs and beans when they were on the trail or when...
sidewalk counselor n.— «For two years, on a strip of pavement outside 560 Southern Boulevard, near 149th Street, protesters and activists who call themselves sidewalk counselors have gathered four times a week—the days the clinic performs...