In hot weather, all tight fitting underwear  is sticky and disagreeable. --BVD ad, 1906 1906 ad--click to embiggen I'm not looking...

Castile soap is a name used in English-speaking countries for olive oil based soap made in a style similar to that originating in the Castil...

Chignon , Chuck Jones (shēn-yŏn')  n. A roll or knot of hair worn at the back of the head or especially at the nape of the neck. ...

my rubber ducky What does "lord love a duck" mean, anyway? The only person I know who says it, is my dear uncle, who calls me ...

Since we've been discussing all things auspicious this week, one particular person I know loves to save a wishbone every time he carves...

All families have them, don't they? Quirky little words and phrases started by the children, that stuck for the duration. This summer, f...

Walter, the Missour-ah boy, who originated the phrase in our family When I found some loose change in the couch cushions the other day, it r...

You probably noticed on my sidebar, that I've been having a Coney dog attack this week. I finally gave in, and made myself one, so I am ...

Christmas just wouldn't be he same without listening to that smooth, smokey voice of Nat King Cole. That opening line "chestnuts ro...

Poetikat used the delightful word doppelgänger in a wonderful haiku last week. I commented how much I liked the word and she quickly sugges...

WT recently informed me that in Bulgaria, when someone says "knock on wood", they actually knock underneath the table, in order ...

Hmm, is this a wolf or a fox? The discussion at the manor this past weekend centered around the phrase "a wolf in sheep's clothing...

Since next Wednesday is Earth Day, I was wondering why we sometimes speak of Earth as "great Mother Earth". Among almost all peopl...

blackmail n. the threat might consist of physical injury to the threatened person or to someone loved by that person, or injury to a person...

Aries, March 21 - April 20, is the first sign of the zodiac. Accordingly, it is linked with beginnings. People born under this sign are typi...

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac, is represented by two fish swimming in opposite directions. Pisce...

Cait O'Connor wrote a lovely post this week on the letter "p". And Elizabeth posted a great photo shot post on the letter ...

Aquarius is the eleventh astrological sign in the Zodiac, 21 January to 18 February, originating from the constellation Aquarius. The corre...

e·bul·lient / iˈboŏlyənt; iˈbəlyənt/ • adj. cheerful and full of energy: she sounded ebullient and happy. 1599, "boiling," from ...

With all the inaugural buzz, I wondered about the etymology of the word. To inaugurate is to get something started. You might wonder why I p...