TagSwiss Army knife

Hove into View

In a nautical context, the word heave refers to the action of a ship rising or lifting with the waves. The past tense is hove, and if a boat hove into view, it slowly came into sight, as if gradually appearing on the horizon. This is part of a...

Unsolicited Nicknames

Do people call you by a nickname without asking? A caller named Elizabeth is baffled when people she’s just met insist on calling her Liz. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Unsolicited Nicknames” Hello, you have A Way with Words...

Your Possibles

If John Wayne asked you to fetch his possibles, what would you go looking for? This term simply means one’s personal belongings, and is found in Western novels and movies. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Your Possibles” Hello, you...

Über

The German word über has found a place in American English. A New Jersey man says he and his colleagues find it to be more versatile than a Swiss Army knife, as in, “He is uber in the middle of that situation,” “That was an uber meeting,” and “You...