A caller from Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, wonders about the origin of “knock on wood.” The hosts do, too. More about the unusual language of Ocracoke here. This is part of a complete episode.
“Don’t be frontin’!” A Texas college student is curious about the origin of fronting, and learns that it goes back several decades to the world of petty criminals. This is part of a complete episode.
Grant answers a caller’s question about the origin of griage, a word used increasingly in clinics where flu shots are dispensed. This is part of a complete episode.
The back forty refers to a remote area of a large piece of land. Grant has the origin of that phrase. This is part of a complete episode.
A man who works nights in a mortuary in Brookings, Oregon is curious about the origin of—what else?—graveyard shift. This is part of a complete episode.
A law student wonders about the origin of the word widget. This is part of a complete episode.