Environmentalists have combined black swan with white elephant to form the term black elephant, meaning “something likely to happen that will have a detrimental impact.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Black...
When it comes to proper grammar, “Where you at?” ain’t where it’s at. A mother is concerned that her child will pick up such malapropisms as “Where you at?” and “My mother and me went to the store.”...
If you’re inappropriately focused on the minutiae of a project instead of the bigger picture, you’re said to be bike-shedding. Grant talks about that modern slang term and Martha discusses a word that goes way back in time, right back to...
The phrases “Well, I swan!” and “Well, I swannee!” are genteel substitutes for swearing. Where do those phrases come from? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “I Swannee!” Hello, you have A Way with...
Where’d we get the term swan song? A caller says this expression came up in conversation just before her retirement and she wonders about its origin. Martha reads email from listeners suggesting alternatives to the word retirement. This is...
visquene n.— «A crew installing new water and electrical lines at Swan Lake Memorial Gardens uncovered the leg wrapped in heavy plastic or a material commonly referred to as visquene.» —“Experts to look at severed leg” by...