The admonition Don’t Mess with Texas may sound like a tough guy’s warning, but it started out as an anti-littering slogan more than 40 years ago. In the 1980s, the Texas Department of Transportation launched the campaign to cut roadside litter that...
While hiking in Colorado, Becca from Corinth, Texas, felt what she calls a kind of “pre-emptive nostalgia,” an appreciation sharpened by knowing the beauty would soon be gone. Is there a word for “feeling homesick for a place you haven’t yet left”...
When Mandy of San Antonio, Texas, was living in South Korea, her Newfoundland friend would call and ask, What are you at? and follow with I’ll come where you’re to. The phrasing is a well-known bit of Newfoundland English that means something like...
Critters, co-workers, and clothes: What do you call your favorite mixed-breed dog? There are Heinz 57 mutts and Texas brown dogs in the U.S., while in parts of the Caribbean they’re called potcakes and coconut retrievers. Plus, among firefighters...
Melissa in Charlotte, North Carolina, remembers her grandfather would describe something excellent as better than snuff, but not near as dusty. The snuff in this case refers to finely ground smokeless tobacco. It arose at a time when snuff was...
Adam in Abilene, Texas, has fond memories of his mother’s Tex-Mex recipe in a casserole dish. Is it properly called a casserole? A tamale pie? It has to do with whether the dish is baked or not. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
