Yeah, no isn’t an oxymoron in miniature. Jade from San Diego notices friends using it before answers such as “we are not spending $50,” and linguists treat it as a discourse marker, a little conversational tool rather than ordinary yes plus ordinary...
The cleverly named “Buy n Large” corporation in the movie Wall-E has a caller wondering why we say use the phrase “by and large” to mean “generally speaking.” It has its origins on the high seas. This is part of a...
When a theater company gives out free tickets to a performance, it’s called “papering the house.” But what kind of “paper” are we talking about, anyway? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Papering...
What do you call a word made from a blend of two other words, like motel from motor and hotel? A listener says his term for them is “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup words,” after the old commercial: “You got chocolate in my peanut...
