Does your vocabulary mark you as old or outdated? Certain words really indicate generational gaps, like chronological shibboleths. For example, are thongs panties or flip-flops? And what do women carry around — a pocketbook, a purse, or a bag? Your...
A Canadian listener’s boyfriend has a special talent. He can remove his socks, roll them up, and throw them across the room into the laundry basket, all with his toes. She says he has toe dexterity, but wonders if the word dexterous can apply to...
Greetings! In this week's archive edition (more about that in a moment) we discuss "bring" vs. "take," Facebook groups for grammar lovers, and singing the lyrics of "Amazing Grace" over the melody of...
When a backpacking waist belt gave Chris from San Diego what he called a Murphy, his friends knew it as a wedgie. Murphy isn’t his invention. The slang term turns up in slang dictionaries and probably dates at least to the 1980s, perhaps the 1970s...
cum gutter n.—Gloss: The central, vertical, depressed line between the well-defined abdominal muscles of a man. «Dolce & Gabbana’s latest sporno campaign for their Intimo men’s underwear line (above), employing eager, wide-shouldered chaps from...
To some folks, they’re thermals. To others, they’re long underwear. And some folks call them long johns. Are these warm undergarments named after some guy called John? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Long Johns” Hello, you have A...

