Q. Malaphor? Guilty. That is: mistakenly jumbling two folk sayings, or idioms. The result? Undeniable nonsense meets knowing nods. What are some oft heard malaphors? . A. The malaphor: ‘Slipped through the radar’ Its broken parts: ‘Slipped through the cracks’ + ‘Under the radar’ • The malaphor: ‘I stuck my

Q. Fictional Eloises are not here to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. There is young Eloise of the Plaza – ‘I am a nuisance in the lobby. Mr. Salomone said so. He is the Manager.’ Add eleven years and we have Eloise Bridgerton – ‘If I’m forced to

Q. Who knew there were so many words for cloak-like overgarments. What are some lesser-known or historic cloak words? . A. Abolla A thick, woollen cloak worn in Ancient Rome. Artois A loose, long cloak favoured by European women in the 18th Century. Capuchin A cloak with a hood, traditionally

Q. Some animal species seem like they wouldn’t give much thought to the collective nouns we silly humans assign them. “A bloat of hippopotamuses?  Stand there for a minute.” 🦛🦛🦛 Birds seem like they would care. What are some collective nouns for birds, and how do we think they would

Q. The cleverest of fruit can, with the slightest of tweaks, serve double duty in explaining our moods. What are some common English idioms – current and past – built around fruit? . A. Pleasant Enough Apple of your eye Now this is a person who makes you proud; tops

Q. Hurray, it’s the Summer Olympics! Time for some ultra high-pressure sports. It’s remarkable that so many athletes manage to remain ‘cool as cucumbers’, even when all those years of training come to a head in just a few minutes – or even seconds – of intense scrutiny and competition.

Q. It is too easy to plunge into the pool of corporate jargon, especially if these spray-cheese words find their way into official corporate documents. ‘Our mission critical for 2024? Effective Accelerationism.’ If we’re lucky, the jargon becomes easy company short-hand. “Ah, yes. This accelerationism does seem effective.” More likely

Q. Time to spill the beans about ‘spilling the beans’ (shameless). How did revealing juicy secrets come to be known as spilling the beans? . A. If so-and-so ‘spilled the beans,’ chances are good that they did so by accident. Or perhaps they were strongly encouraged (🗡️) to do so.

Q. In Agatha Christie’s 1922 The Secret Adversary, Sir James Peel Edgerton has some pointed advice for Miss Prudence Cowley –  ‘known to her intimate friends for some mysterious reasons as “Tuppence.” Sir James’ nugget? “Great mistake to say too much. Remember that. Never tell all you know – not

Q. Mrs. Hodgepodge nearly did it. Her cabbage jelly was almost the best at the fair – second place – but it didn’t win. ‘Close, but no cigar.’ It’s a phrase we’ll throw out there without thinking, but where does it originate? . A. ‘Close, but no cigar’ is said