An Episcopal priest in Toledo worries that her sermons are cluttered with dashes. This works just fine when she’s preaching, but when the same text appears on her church’s website, it looks like a messy tangle of words and punctuation...
A caller wonders why some versions of the Lord’s Prayer include the phrase “forgive us our trespasses,” while others substitute the word “debt.”
fitting the flaps n.— «Lip Synchronisation, known in America as “fitting the flaps,” is a means of ensuring that the sound of the words being spoken matched the lip movements of the onscreen speaker.» —“Lost in...
If you’re a Texan, you may be familiar with the phrases “raise the window down” and “help your plate.” If not, you’ll find translations here. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Does the English expression “falling in love” derive from the biblical story of Rebekah and Isaac? A caller thinks so. The hosts don’t think so. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Etymology of “Falling...
A listener from Texas heard an NPR report from Asia in which an interpreter translated a speaker’s words into English as “a whole new ball game.” He wants to know if that’s a literal translation from an Asian language, and if...