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Episode 1494

Put on the Dog

Why isn’t “you’re welcome” the default response to “thank you” for everyone? Plus lies that kids tell, Philadelphia lawyer, cowbelly, skutch, mind-bottling vs. mind-boggling, tsundoku, infanticipating, noisy piece...

A Leg Up

Ali in Toronto, Canada, wonders about the expression to give or have a leg up, meaning “to be a step ahead of everyone.” The phrase comes from the idea of providing assistance to someone getting up into a saddle. A similar expression is...

Forgetting Your Own Idiolect

Aiya from Toronto, Canada, finds that whenever he moves to a new location, he adopts some of the local dialect, which feels a bit uncomfortable. At one point, for example, he found himself unable to recall if he used on accident or by accident to...

Employee Pink Slip

A Toronto, Canada, caller wonders how a notice that an employee is being fired ever came to be known as a pink slip. This is part of a complete episode.

pee stick

pee stick  n.—Gloss: A long, thin device on which a woman urinates in order to determine if she is pregnant. Note: Common but as far as can be told unrecorded in dictionaries. «Does the newly designed 2010 Olympic torch look like a joint...

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