Michael from Weatherford, Texas, called because he hears caddywampus more often in Texas than in California. Catawampus, meaning “askew,” can be spelled at least 15 different ways, with Ks, Cs, Ds, and different vowels. It likely derives from the...
Bruce in Indianapolis heard older Indiana farm folks use work-brickle for someone who’s industrious, or, in the negative, not much of a worker. The expression goes back to dialects of the British Isles and survives in U.S. pockets with shifting...