Jane in Denver, Colorado, notes some people using the term an in front of a word beginning with a consonant, as if to emphasize that word by modifying it with the incorrect definite article. That may be what’s happening in this scene from the...
Ever drop a reference that just makes you sound, well, of a certain age? Grant and Martha discuss language that’s lost on other generations. Why is the entree the main course? Shouldn’t it come first? And why is the letter k silent in...
alli-oops n.— «s a result of a nationwide campaign to sell GSK’s new weight-loss drug Alli, (AKA Orlistat, AKA Xenical), it quickly became the fastest selling over-the-counter weight-loss medication. […] But don’t let the scare...
dark derivative n.— «In his testimony, Greenspan recommended to Congress that regulation of Over-The-Counter (OTC) derivatives between private parties was not necessary. These derivatives are referred to as “dark derivatives”...
cliff effect n.— Note: Related to digital cliff. «Over-the-air digital television is an all-or-nothing proposition, Lewin said, meaning a television will either show a picture as clear as cable, or no picture at all. It’s commonly called...
ticktock n.— «As to whether he backed Mr. Geithner’s decision to introduce the bank bailout plan before arriving at specifics, Mr. Summers, well schooled in Washington’s ways, invoked newspaper slang for behind-the-scenes...