We’ve spoken on the show before about conversation openers that differ from the often dreaded “What do you do?” and we heard from one listener who prefers “What keeps you busy?” This is part of a complete episode...
Saucered and blowed is an idiom meaning that a project is finished or preparations are complete, but it’s not that odd—Bill Clinton’s used it. It derives from the rustic practice of spilling boiling-hot coffee into a saucer and blowing...
Alight and come in is an old-fashioned, hospitable phrase recalling a time when a visitor who’s ridden a long way might be invited to hop off his horse and step inside for a meal. Variations include alight and look at your saddle and alight...
If you write it on the ice, what you write will be impermanent, or not to be counted on–the opposite of carved in stone. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Write It On The Ice” We got an email from Sarah in San...
The epizootic is a type of imaginary ailment. You’d know it if you saw it—it’s like the horse kickles, but you don’t break out. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Epizootic” Hello, you have A Way with...
That strip of snow that you can’t quite reach down the middle of your car roof? That’s a carhawk, since it looks like a mohawk of snow. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Carhawk” What do you call it when...