Do pregnant women enjoy pickles and ice cream? Linguists from the American Dialect Society have been discussing this recently. They found that the expression pickles and ice cream once referred simply to the conjoining of two unrelated things, sort...
“They shot the white girl first.” That’s how Toni Morrison’s novel, Paradise, begins, and it’s a great example of an irresistible first line. Martha shares others sent in by listeners. She also reads from a Michael...
gynocritic n.— «Elaine Showalter has now undertaken this daunting venture.…She once coined the term “gynocritic” for critics freed “from the linear absolutes of male literary history.”)» —“Writing Women” by Katie...
firefly moment n.— «Guests of the Women’s Resource Center enjoyed Embracing Firefly Moments at the Plantation Golf and Country Club with author/speaker Barbara Braunstein. Barbara kept the attendees in stitches with humorous anecdotes and...
crop n.— «A “crop” is the term for a get-together of scrapbookers, similar to the term “bee” for a group of quilters.» —“Crafters gather at crop: Women get together to record memories in scrapbook...
waz adj.— «The team name Wazwagamafs comes from waz (Marine lingo for fantastic) and “wagamafs, (wives and girlfriends and mums and families/friends).» —“Women’s muddy hell to help brave troops” by Caroline...
