The slang term 4-55 air conditioning is means cooling a car by driving fast with all the windows down. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Air Conditioning With a Do-It-Yourself Crank: 4-55” A friend in Phoenix just taught me about...
A South Carolina teen calls to ask why the English language has a word meaning “to throw someone out of a window,” but no word for “the day after tomorrow.” The word defenestrate, from Latin fenestra, “window,” was coined in the 17th century...
Doorwall was once used in many parts of the United States for “sliding glass door,” although the term now seems to have settled largely in parts of Michigan. In the American Southwest, these doors are sometimes called arcadia doors. This is part of...
For all the gothic architecture fans out there—hold onto the term ogival, which means “having the form of a pointed arch.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Ogival” Grant, how about the spelling B word, ojival? Ojival? Yeah. Oh...
When wine drinkers swirl their glass and watch those streaks coming down, they say they’re looking at the legs. But the German term kirchenfenster, meaning “church windows,” makes a great substitute because of the arches of church windows. Do you...
Window-shopping became popular pastime along New York’s 5th Avenue back in the days when stores closed at 5 p.m. Passersby would stroll past, gazing at the window displays without intending to purchase anything. The French term for “window...