Jared in Liberty, New York, wonders when and how the term fuggedaboudit originated and how came to be popularly associated with the New York metropolitan area. The films of Martin Scorsese had a lot to do with that. The word doesn’t always literally...
Herblock’s Law is a bummer for anyone who, like Grant, loved the socks sold at The Gap fifteen years ago: “If it’s good, they’ll stop making it.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Herblock’s Law” This eponymous law comes from Herb...
Remember getting caught sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G? Grant and Martha wax nostalgic on some classic schoolyard rhymes. What do you call your offspring once they’ve grown up? Adult children? How about kid-ults? Plus, is there really such a thing...
Why can’t you tear the tag off a mattress? And why do old books say that the right of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian, is reserved? These bits of jargon, not necessarily intended for the consumer, have seeped into our...
buckraking n.— «All three contracted with the insurance lobby to give speeches to industry groups for large sums of money, a practice known as “buckraking.” Though the Washington Post reported in 2002 that NBC prohibited its employees engaging in...
