“Let’s blow this popsicle stand” is an adaptation of “Let’s blow this pop stand,” meaning to leave a place, and in a way that’s showy. Think Marlon Brando in The Wild One. This is part of a complete episode.
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a word puzzle called “Novel Novels,” in which he gives clues to the names of novels similar to familiar ones, except for one letter. Try this one: “This offbeat novel is based on an incident concerning a...
BOGO n.— Note: Also abbreviated as “BOGOF.” «I was proud that she had grasped the dangers of Buy-One/Get-One (BOGO) free purchases.» —“BOGO Trap: Buy Eight, Get One Free? I Don’t Think So” by Sharon Harvey...
Here’s a riddle: “Nature requires five, custom gives seven, laziness takes nine, and wickedness eleven.” Think you know the answer? This is part of a complete episode.
It's time again for a newsletter from A Way with Words, public radio's program about words, language, and how we use them. This past weekend we plundered the Australian National Dictionary, which is now available in full online, by sharing...
polocrosse n.— «Some of those who play the game jokingly refer to it as “poor man’s polo,” but polocrosse is much more than that. It’s a game that allows 5- to 10-year olds to compete against 65- to 75-year olds with nobody...