That's What They Say

If "hunky dory" means the same thing as "right as rain," then we face the question of how ... more

While we may know highfalutin language when we hear it, we don't all agree about how to sp... more

We exchange scuttlebutt at the proverbial water cooler, and there's an etymological clue i... more

The little clock we wear on our wrist could be called a clock. Instead, it has long had it... more

Sometimes new slang jumps out in front of you, waving its hands, or thumbs, so that you ca... more

We can count fathoms when we’re measuring things. We can also metaphorically fathom or not... more

This is a bespoke segment of That’s What They Say that focuses on “bespoke.”

If it’s up your alley, it might also be up your street. And perhaps it’s down rather than ... more

You say "lieutenant," I say “leftenant” but let’s not call the whole thing off.

There’s more than one way to be wonky, and not all of them are bad.

Adverbs don’t always get a lot of love, captured powerfully in the writing tip “Abolish th... more

We scrimp and we save, and we skimp and we still save, which makes one wonder whether scri... more

Cheesemongers sell cheese, and gossipmongers usually start the gossip or spread it, rather... more

Many of us don’t talk about doornails very often, but sometimes we will when things are re... more

If you know how the sound "f" worked in Old English, it suddenly isn’t mysterious why the ... more

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If I say I’m gonna do it, I don’t necessarily mean I’m headed out the door right now to do... more

2025 had lots of people talking about sixes and sevens, but not in the loose ends kind of ... more

Next time you’re hanging out with friends, you can debate just how slangy the phrasal verb... more

This may be one of the only times that throw pillows, golf, and curling all get wrapped in... more