Mike in Ukiah, California, grew up in the UK, where he often heard the expression to know your onions, meaning “to be knowledgeable about something.” He suspects the phrase is rhyming slang, but It’s most likely one of many...
It’s the wacky title of a new book by language enthusiast Elizabeth Little which has Martha and Grant talking about whether Coca-Cola and Chevy ran into cultural translation problems when selling products abroad. Did the Chevy Nova really sell...
How do you pronounce eco, as in eco-friendly? Is it EE-koe or EK-koe? A seller of environmentally friendly products learns whether she can tell her teenage son to go spread his pronunciation in the garden. This is part of a complete episode.
cross-docking n.— «Cost savings are huge in Wal-Mart’s distribution and logistic functions as it employs a method called cross-docking. Products are received on one side of the warehouse and leave out of the other side, virtually...
chipmunk v.— «A cheap way to reduce the number of teeth, without buying a new saw, is to “chipmunk” an existing saw, i.e., set it up so that only every other tooth cuts.» —by Daniel Parrent Alaska Wood Products...
genecular adj.— «The Company coined the term “Genecular” to refer to the emerging, leading edge science of functional human genetic research at the molecular level.» —“Dermacia Forms R & D Subsidiary to Advance...