How often do you hear the words campaign and political in the same breath? Oddly enough, 19th-century grammarians railed against using campaign to mean “an electoral contest.” Martha and Grant discuss why. And, lost in translation: a...
The slang expression “No Tea, No Shade,” meaning “No disrespect, but …” is common in the drag community, where T means “truth.” The related phrase “All Tea, All Shade,” means “This statement is...
A caller whose wife is from eastern Kentucky says she uses the term swarpy to describe clothing that’s too big, ill-fitting, and may even drag on the ground. This term probably derives from an old Scots verb “swap,” meaning to...
The language of restaurant menus. Need a dictionary to get through a dinner menu? Research shows the longer the description of a particular dish, the more expensive it will be. Plus: What’s the best way to use a thesaurus? DON’T —...
podfade n.— «But there’s a problem with deciding to do a podcast on mortgages if you’re just in it for the money…after a few episodes you’re likely to experience what’s known in the industry as “podfade”—that’s when a podcast...
flying K n.— «This is skiing’s equivalent of drag racing and, unlike in slalom, there are no gates or turns. Speed skiers just point the ski tips straight down a hill that is so steep it is almost freefall. Also known as the “flying...