In an earlier episode, we speculated about the origin of the phrase go commando, which means to go without underwear. We suggested that it was somehow associated with being “tough as a commando,” gritting one’s teeth through the attendant chafing. But a listener who served as an infantryman in Vietnam has a different take. After a comrade suggested he “go commando,” he discovered that opting out of his army-issued boxer shorts actually made him more comfortable in the tropical heat. We love these firsthand reports about language, so keep ’em coming. This is part of a complete episode.
More from this show
What makes a great first line of a book? How do the best authors put together an initial sentence that draws you in and makes you want to read more? We’re talking about the openings of such novels as George Orwell’s 1984...
To slip someone a mickey means to doctor a drink and give it to an unwitting recipient. The phrase goes back to Mickey Finn of the Lone Star Saloon in Chicago, who in the late 19th century was notorious for drugging certain customers and relieving...