For one family in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the expression tuna casserole serves as code for “Tonight’s dinner doesn’t sound so good, so let’s go out to eat.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Tuna Casserole? Let’s Roll” We heard...
Noelle from Jericho, Vermont, says her family used “sorry, Charlie!” as a playful way to tell her child no; after he transitioned, Charlie became his name. The expression became widely familiar through Starkist’s animated Charlie the Tuna...
Beware of linguistic false friends, also known as false cognates. You wouldn’t want to say you’re feeling embarazada in Spanish, unless you want to say you’re pregnant. And don’t order the tuna in Spain unless you want to hear a musical group made...
Beware of false friends, those words that don’t translate the way you’d expect. For example, the word “gift” in German means “poison,” and the Spanish word “tuna” means “the fruit of the prickly pear cactus.” These tricky lookalikes are also called...
reverse raccoon n.— «The 90210 starlet wore red platforms and a white dress, that so nicely complimented the white racoon-like marks around her eyes. It’s good to see that Annalynne protects her eyes when she’s in the tanning bed, but maybe she...
hurricane ham n.— «In the same way that Tuna is called “chicken of the sea,” Floridians called the sea turtle “turkey of the sea.” Conchs are still called “hurricane hams.” Sponges are called…uh…“sponges.”» —“Free Market Environmentalism and Eco...