Pickle, baboon, cupcake, snorkel, pumpkin, Kalamazoo—let’s face it, some words are just plain funny. But what makes some words funnier than others? Martha and Grant consider this question with an assist from Neil Simon’s play (and movie)...
Grant recommends a couple of favorite children’s books by Kate Banks and Georg Hallensleben: Baboon and The Night Worker. This is part of a complete episode.
In a previous episode, a caller sought a classy term for a worker in the meat section of a cheese shop, something a little more sophisticated than, say, meatmonger. The helpful suggestions from listeners keep rolling in, and Grant and Martha share a...
hoarding n.— «The platform in question was partially draped by a large orange tarp, a technique known as “hoarding,” Hauser said. It’s a common and accepted way to shelter workers from the elements when working in winter...
head table n.— «A survey of the workers confirmed what the plant’s nurses had suspected: those who got sick were employed at or near the “head table,” where workers cut the meat off severed hog heads.» —“A Medical Mystery Unfolds in...
Black Wednesday n.— «Around five million workers—about one in six of the UK’s workforce—will pull a post New Year’s Eve sickie today. Black Wednesday, as it has been dubbed by employers, will also see one in 1,000 people quit their jobs...