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Lifebuoy Soap Pronunciation

As we noted in an earlier conversation, people in the United States usually pronounce the word buoy as BOO-ee, but their counterparts in Britain tend to pronounce it BOY. Commercials airing in the U.S. for Lifebuoy soap use the British...

Episode 1403

Month of Sundays

If you’re on tenterhooks, it means you’re in a state of anxious anticipation or suspense. But what IS a tenterhook? The answer goes back to a 15th-century manufacturing process. Also, you probably have a term for those crumbs that...

Gyros and Sheath Cakes

What’s the right way to pronounce gyros? Have you ever heard of feeling poozley? Called something great a blinger? Use the expression one-off to mean a “one-time thing”?

Etymology of One-Off

A one-off is something that is done or made or occurs just once. A Washington State caller who’s curious about the term learns that it derives from manufacturing lingo. This is part of a complete episode.

takt time

takt time  n.— «Toyota has made the difficult call to reduce output by slowing production through short-term shutdowns, eliminating overtime, and slowing the line (or lengthening the takt time, in manufacturing parlance).» —“Weakened...

Etymology of Simping

In our recent episode, Dust Bunnies and Ghost Turds, Grant mentioned simping, a slang term for “the act of pursuing a woman online in a fawning fashion.” What’s the etymological source of simping? “Cyberpimping”...

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