Deadpan, an adjective used to describe a flat or unsmiling affect, as in deadpan humor, derives from the use of pan as a slang term for “face.” This is part of a complete episode.
- Listen on:
- Apple
- Spotify
- Stitcher
- + more apps
You must log in to post a comment.
1 comment
More from this show
In German, the electronic dashboard display on a car has a picturesque name. It’s Mäusekino, literally, “mouse cinema.”...
Puzzling over the New York Times Spelling Bee, Jordan in Cheyenne, Wyoming, played the word pipped, but was surprised that the game...
Caroline in Charlotte, North Carolina, recalls her grandparents often used vittles to mean “food.” The word vittles derives...
In Japanese, sakura means “cherry blossom.” When the spring wind blows through the blooming trees, you have a sakura-fubuki 桜吹雪...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski is puzzling over proverbs around the world, but he asks for help remembering the last word of each. For example, he...
Cindy from Henderson, Kentucky, enjoys a wonderful relationship with her ex-husband’s new wife, and she’s looking for a word to...
While the earliest known use of “dead pan” in print is from the sports pages of the St. Louis Star and Times in 1915, that particular 1915 quote says it originated with actors. Here’s a deep dive into its origin: https://etymology.kenliss.com/blog/?p=490