Lizzie calls from Bromgrove in the West Midlands of England to ask about the phraseWould you jump in my grave as quick? She remembers hearing friends say it when, for example, someone took their nice warm spot on the sofa when they got up to make a cup of tea. The phrase is used with an element of faux or real indignation, as if to say “How dare you take my spot?” A version of this phrase appears in the hilarious action movie Hot Fuzz and novelistJojo Moyes used it in the novel Me Before You (Bookshop|Amazon). This is part of a complete episode.
Google Translate has expanded its offerings with 110 more languages, including major languages such as Cantonese, endangered languages such as Manx, and many less-spoken ones like Kallaalisut, used in Greenland, and Latgalian in Latvia. This is part...
John in Omaha, Nebraska, wonders about a phrase that encourages someone to attend an event or risk being left out or feeling uncool: be there or be square. Don’t fall for the fake etymology about people wearing boxes on their heads! Ditto for...
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