A listener from Wisconsin adds to the discussion on wind pudding and air sauce, explaining that where he’s from, wind pudding is old loggerspeak for “baked beans.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Wind...
Downton Abbey, a program featured on Masterpiece Theater, provided a handful of colorful expressions that date surprisingly far back. “Like it or lump it,” meaning “deal with it,” is found at least as early as 1830 and takes...
What’s for dinner? How about wind pudding, air sauce, and a side of balloon trimmings? This colorful euphemism for “nothing” dates as far back as the American Civil War, when troops would come into the mess tent, see a wild...
“A few pickles short of a jar,” “a few peas short of a casserole,” “two French fries short of a Happy Meal”—this week, Martha and Grant discuss these and other full-deckisms, those clever ways to describe someone...
Amid the stacks of new titles at the library, Grant picks out The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame to read with his son. The hosts discuss the appeal of classic children’s books. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Cotton candy sounded alarmingly literal to young Libby in Fort Worth, Texas. If it was made of actual cotton fiber, she figured some people might be able to digest it, but she wasn’t one of them, so she stayed away. The mix-up belongs with other...

