Finnie, as in I finnie that, is an old expression used to claim something. The term may have arisen from the use of the word fen in the children’s game of marbles, referring to the idea of the fending or making up a rule that defends an action or area. Similar ways to declare dibs on something include hosey as in I hosey the front seat!, and Ihave beans on that!, plus terms like wacky and muggins. This is part of a complete episode.
If you’re going to hit the road in a motor home, best to bone up on some of the slang used by RV enthusiasts, like stinky slinky, PUPs, and gassers. A stinky slinky is a sewer hose, a PUP is a pop-up camper, and a gasser is a motor home powered by...
A listener in Lorain, Ohio, wonders about the origin of the terms happy and happiness. Both come from an older word hap, meaning “chance” or “luck,” also the source of happen, mishap, hapless, happenstance, happy-go-lucky, and perhaps. Language...
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