Jai Paul Archives – A Way with Words

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The Origin of the Word “Hype”

Posted by Grant Barrett on June 26, 2021 · Add Comment

Valerie from Los Angeles, California, is curious about the admonition don’t buy the hype. Don’t buy the hype about the word hyperbole, though, because that’s likely not the source of the word “hype.” This is part of a complete episode.

Saditty

Posted by Grant Barrett on December 1, 2012 · Add Comment

Oh, those saditty gals think they’re all that, don’t they? Saditty, or seditty, goes back to the 1940s, where it first appears in news articles from African-American publications. It applies primarily to women act like they’re better than others, or who seem stuck up. Bougie, as in bourgeois, has a similar use among African Americans. [...]

Bluetoothy

Posted by Grant Barrett on November 10, 2012 · Add Comment

Sometimes a couple may be paired, but they’re just not connected. As this cartoon suggests, you might say they’re bluetoothy. This is part of a complete episode.

Going Out Of Style

Posted by grantbarrett on January 5, 2008 · Add Comment

A commuter hears a radio report about an organization that’s “giving away condoms like they were going out of style.” But, he wonders, if they’re really “going out of style,” then why are they so popular? Isn’t the phrase “giving them away like they were going out of style” contradictory? This is part of a [...]

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The Origin of the Word “Hype”

Saditty

Bluetoothy

Going Out Of Style