1470-Rabbit-Yells-Big-Ears by A Way with Words

A San Antonio, Texas, woman who has taught at the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base, says one of her Spanish-speaking students taught her the equivalent of the pot calling the kettle black: el conejo gritando orejon, which translates literally as “the rabbit yelling ‘big ears. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2pazEQ0

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1470-Lex-Bag-Tennyson’s-Brook by A Way with Words

The expression on and on like Tennyson’s brook describes something lengthy or seemingly interminable, like a long-winded speaker who goes on and on like Tennyson’s brook. The phrase is a reference to a lovely poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson about the course of a body of water. http://waywordradio. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2pTuAxD

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1470-Intro-More-Anti-Jokes by A Way with Words

Our conversation about goofy German Antiwitze prompts listeners to send in their own silly jokes. For example: What’s the difference between a duck? A pencil, because a duck has no sleeves! http://waywordradio.org via Pocket http://ift.tt/2oj3ZNj

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1470-Elbow-Clerk by A Way with Words

Speaking to a conference of judges and lawyers, Grant learns the term elbow clerk, meaning a clerk who works in the judge’s chambers. http://waywordradio.org via Pocket http://ift.tt/2oA0BK0

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1470-Clinomania by A Way with Words

The words clinomania and dysania both refer to extreme difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. http://waywordradio.org via Pocket http://ift.tt/2oj3YJf

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1470-Caller-Patricia-Fussbudget by A Way with Words

A fussbudget is someone who’s “ill-tempered” or “overly critical,” the -budget in this term deriving from an old word for “purse” or “pouch.” Variants include fussy-budget, fuss-a-budget, and fussbucket. http://waywordradio. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2oA7haQ

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1470-Caller-Nan-Coast-Is-Clear by A Way with Words

A woman in Vancouver, Washington, wants to know the origin of the phrase the coast is clear, meaning “it’s safe to proceed.” It most likely has to do with a literal coast, whether from the perspective of a ship at sea or guards patrolling the shoreline. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2pUhDWZ

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1470-Caller-Lindsey-Lost-The-Bubble by A Way with Words

To lose the bubble means “to lose track” or “lose one’s bearings,” and refers to the bubble in an inclinometer on an airplane or ship, much like the bubble in a carpenter’s level. It’s described in detail in Gene Rochlin’s Trapped in the Net: The Unanticipated Consequences of Computerization. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2ozZ2eR

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