Quinn from Excelsior, Minnesota, is five years old — well, five and three-quarters, as she points out. She wonders why the letter Q is so often followed by U. In Old English, the alphabet didn’t include the letter Q. The word quick, for...
Vartan Gregorian, the academic, philanthropist, and indefatigable fundraiser, raised millions to support the New York Public Library, and eloquently described why libraries are an indispensable, inspiring part of any community. This is part of a...
Pearline from Fort Worth, Texas, wonders why anyone would ever advise that You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Like so many English phrases, it doesn’t pay to analyze the literal meaning too closely. This is part of a complete...
Erin in Austin, Texas, wants to know: Why do we say two people in contentious disagreement are at loggerheads?
This is part of a complete episode.
Michelle calls from the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania to ask about it’s been a minute meaning “It’s been a while.” Why would we use a phrase that usually means “sixty seconds” for a period of time that might...
Mark from Chicago, Illinois, wonders: Why do some people use the term backslash to refer to a forward slash when giving a website address? Terms for that mark in other contexts are virgule, from the Latin for “twig,” and solidus. This is...