When Bebe, a non-native English speaker in Charlotte, North Carolina, moved from England to the United States, she learned that a minor illness isn’t called the lurgy but the crud. In the 1700s, lurgy was used jokingly to refer to “a vague medical...
Whippoorwills, bob whites, and chickadees. How do we decide the names of birds and what to call their calls? Plus, the last syllables of Arkansas and Kansas are pronounced differently, but they come from the same etymological root. And: What’s the...
A family saying loose lips sink ships is a joking warning to keep a secret, not pass it on. Sharon from Omaha, Nebraska, grew up with her grandfather using it any time a confidence was at stake. The expression dates to World War II propaganda...
Choosing language that helps resolve interpersonal conflict. Sometimes a question is really just a veiled form of criticism and understanding the difference between “ask culture” and “guess culture” can help you know how to...
Cut a chogi is Korean War-era military slang for moving fast, leaving quickly, or taking a shortcut, as Andre in Indianapolis heard from his father-in-law, such as cutting through a parking lot to get somewhere sooner. The form chogi likely comes...
A caller from San Antonio, Texas, remembers a song her father, a World War II vet, used to sing: “Around the corner and under a tree / A sergeant major proposed to me / Who would marry you? I would like to know / For every time I look at your...
