The epicene pronoun they will work just fine. Forest Service firefighter in Lakeland, Florida, also teaches classes on chainsaw safety, and wants to make sure heвЂ™s using gender-neutral pronouns when doing so. A listener in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, says his British relatives sometimes use the term snecklifter to mean вЂњa gift that will get you in the door at a dinner party.вЂќ A Gender-Neutral Plural Pronoun for Talking to GroupsДЄ U.S. So why are they applied to the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months of the year? The answer lies in the messy history of marking the year, described in detail in David DuncanвЂ™s book, Calendar: HumanityвЂ™s Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year. The months September, October, November, and December derive from Latin words that mean вЂњseven,вЂќ вЂњeight,вЂќ вЂњnine,вЂќ and вЂњtenвЂќ respectively. Why the Month Names DonвЂ™t Match Their Order Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, by Merriam-Webster lexicographer Kory Stamper, is a must-read for anyone interested in language and how dictionaries are made. In English, this period in late summer is known as the dog days.

ThereвЂ™s a great deal of folklore associated with la canicula, a term applied at different times in different Spanish-speaking countries. Canicula derives from Latin for вЂњlittle dog,вЂќ a reference to Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, which at a certain time of the year appears in the eastern horizon just before sunrise, appearing to accompany the sun like a faithful pup. This period is also known as las cabaГ±uelas. Las CaniculasДЄ San Antonio, Texas, listener recalls hearing the term las caniculas to denote a period of 12 days in January where the weather seems to run the gamut of all the kinds of weather that will be experienced in the coming year. Some parents take homeschooling a step further with world-schooling, or educating children through shared travel experiences. The phrase to be nebby is heard particularly in Western Pennsylvania, and means to be вЂњpickyвЂќ or вЂњgossipy.вЂќ Originally, it meant вЂњnosyвЂќ or вЂњsnooping.вЂќ Nebby is a vestige of Scots-Irish, where the word neb means вЂњnoseвЂќ or вЂњbeak.вЂќ World Schooling

Instead, the word derives from Japanese e meaning вЂњpictureвЂќ and moji, meaning вЂњletterвЂќ or вЂњcharacter.вЂќ Nebby Although you might guess that the name for these little pictures inserted into text messages contains the English word emotion, thatвЂ™s just a coincidence.

Quiz Guy John Chaneski shares puzzle called вЂњBlank in the Blank.вЂќ For example, what classic toddlerвЂ™s toy shares its name with a fast-food restaurant? Emoji Word OriginsДЄ college student in Bowling Green, Kentucky, wonders about the origin of the word emoji. Gram weenie is a slang term for an ultralight backpacker who goes to extreme lengths to shave off every last bit of weight they must carry. In other words, donвЂ™t use big words.вЂќ This particular phrase and variations of it were passed around in 19th century, much like internet memes today. Promulgating Your Esoteric CogitationsДЄ woman in Mammoth Lakes, California, says her father used to offer this advice: вЂњIn promulgating your esoteric cogitations or articulating your superficial sentimentalities, beware of preposterous ponderosities. But itвЂ™s now being reclaimed by longtime airline employees as a positive self-descriptor. The slang term sky hag was originally a negative appellation for an older flight attendant. This term may have originated in the slang of surfers in South Africa in the 1970s and eventually spread into everyday slang. How Was вЂњGnarlyвЂќ Coined?ДЄ surfer in Imperial Beach, California, wonders who coined the word gnarly to describe waves that are particularly challenging. What do you call it? In a discussion on our Facebook group, listeners share several names, including rubber husband, second husband, rubber grippy thing, and round tuit. YouвЂ™re trying to unscrew the stubborn lid on a jar of pickles and ask someone to hand you that flat, round, rubber thing that helps you get it open.

Skedaddle meaning