Chad in Omaha, Nebraska, noticed that his mother ended every phone call with mmm-bye, a form he never heard her use in person. The closing may be simply bye with the initial m sound held a little longer before the lips release for the b, not a...
Since the 1950’s, the term think tank has meant “a research institute.” But even earlier than that, going as far back as the 1880’s, think tank referred “a person’s mind.” Another slang term for one’s...
Daniel in Dallas, Texas grew up hearing a friend announce, “Let’s blow this popsicle stand,” before leading the group somewhere else. The phrase combines slang blow meaning “leave,” used since the 1800s, with pop stand, a soda-selling spot; popsicle...
It’s hard enough to get a new word into the dictionary. But what happens when lawmakers get involved? New Jersey legislators passed a resolution as part of an anti-bullying campaign urging dictionary companies to adopt the word upstander. It...
Kind and nice are sometimes used interchangeably, but Bonnie in San Diego asks what separates them. The difference is roughly that between demeanor and behavior. Nice points to how a person presents themselves and meets social expectations, while...
One listener’s term, tee-ella-berta, is among hundreds of euphemisms for the derriere, including tee-hiney, tee-hineyboo, and tee-hinder. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Tee-Ella-Berta” Hello, you have A Way with...