Stephanie, a social worker in Tallahassee, Florida, talks with people all day long, and she’s noticed that sometimes when she’s talking to a client, that person starts silently mouthing Stephanie’s words. This may be a form of...
You may have heard the advice that to build your vocabulary you should read, read, and then read some more – and make sure to include a wide variety of publications. But what if you just don’t have that kind of time? Martha and Grant...
Judy from Tallahassee, Florida, asks why spendthrift means someone who spends money freely, when thrift now suggests careful saving. The older sense of thrift was acquired wealth or prosperity, something that comes from thriving, so a spendthrift...
To be jonesing for something means to be craving it. The phrase arose in 1960’s drug culture, but beyond that, there are competing stories about its origin. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Jonesing” Hello, you...
An Omaha, Nebraska, man asks about the origin of the term bear-caught, which applies to someone with sunstroke or heat exhaustion. The point of popularization for this expression appears to be a 1965 book by Donn Pearce and its subsequent movie...
Tyler in Tallahassee, Florida, has grown a beard long enough to hide a tie knot, and a coffee shop barista praised it as man lettuce. The source of that leafy nickname is uncertain, beyond the barista’s brother-in-law using it, but English has beard...