A riddle: What runs over fields and woods all day, under the bed at night sits not alone with its tongue out, waiting for a bone? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Waiting for a Bone Riddle” I have a riddle for you, Grant. Okay...
A caller from Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, wonders about the origin of “knock on wood.” The hosts do, too. More about the unusual language of Ocracoke here. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Knock On Wood” Hello, you have A Way...
What’s happening linguistically when someone’s using the second-person singular possessive in a list of items? A Charlottesville, Virginia, caller began wondering that recently after hearing a wood-flooring salesperson say, “You got your maple, you...
A man who takes daily walks in the woods of upstate New York wants a word for the whooshing of the pines high above their heads. The hosts suggest the Latin-based word susurration, although they might also have suggested soughing. This is part of a...
simming n.—Gloss: From “simulating.” «It took a room full of networked computers called a “render farm” to do in about 14 months what would have taken a single machine 16 years: churn out digital scenes precisely modeled after real life, Mr...
bench cut n.—Gloss: A terraced or step-like cut in soil, stone, wood, or other material. «Volunteers will learn how to decrease erosion on slopes by a method called “bench cutting.” They will then make some bench cuts on local trails.» —“Volunteers...