![]() ![]() Īdditionally, the term is documented to have been used in the US Marine Corps during World War II, where it was often expressed in the phrase "as screwed up as a Chinese fire drill". The bucket brigade began to draw the water from the starboard side, run directly over to the port side and then throw the water overboard, bypassing the engine room completely. The drill had previously gone according to plan, until the orders became confused in interpretation. To prevent flooding, a separate crew was ordered to ferry the accumulated water from the engine room up to the main deck, and to heave the water over the port side. The bucket brigade were to draw water from the starboard side, pass it to the engine room, and pour it onto the simulated "fire". The term goes back to the early 1900s, and is alleged to have originated when a ship run by British officers and a Chinese crew practiced a fire drill for a fire in the engine room. Used under a Creative Commons license." Chinese fire drill" is a slang term for a situation that is chaotic or confusing, possibly due to poor or misunderstood instructions. This episode is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, and produced by Stefanie Levine. Which of the following three factors has the biggest influence on a person’s accent? Is it your geographic location, your family, or the media? Here’s a list of many more, collected a few years ago by linguist Bert Vaux. In Lithuanian, the name translates as orphan’s tears. ![]() But a woman says her Southern-born mother used a much more unnerving expression: “The devil’s beating his wife.” Martha and Grant discuss the possible origins of this expression and its variants, like “The devil is beating his wife and the angels are crying.” Around the world, this meteorological phenomenon goes by an astonishing range of names. Quick-what do you call that? Some folks refer to it a sunshower, and others call it a monkey’s wedding. It’s raining, it’s pouring, but the sun is still shining. In 2008, is using the term jive turkey politically incorrect, or just a little dorky-sounding? A Las Vegas schoolteacher jokingly used it with her students, then had second thoughts. ![]() This week’s slang quiz challenges a Seattle video game designer to pick out the correct slang terms from a mishmash of possible answers, including hammantaschen, party party, play pattycake, and get off. But a caller who overheard the expression at work worries that expression might be racist. The term “Chinese fire drill” can mean either a “state of confusion” or the adoloscent ritual involving a red light and a carful of rowdy teenagers. Martha and Grant discuss some other Word of the Year candidates, including hockey mom and hypermiling. She wants to know if she’s right that it’s bad grammar, and more important, is she right to be a stickler about it? Hypermiling Comprised OfĪn Indiana woman shudders every time anyone uses the expression comprised of. Why do we say someone’s “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed”? Your chipper, chattering hosts are ready with the sciurine answer. Naturally, his name for the quiz is “Best. Quiz Guy John Chaneski stops by with a quiz about superlatives. Martha nominates another Word of the Year candidate: Joe the, as in “Joe the Plumber,” and subsequent variations on the “X the Y” formula arising from a certain drain-fixer’s quarter-hour of fame. Is this okay or could it be seen as condescending? Buckarooīuckaroo is an English word adapted from the Spanish word vaquero, meaning “cowboy.” Is there a specific term for the linguistic process whereby such words are adapted into English? Joe the Plumber What are your nominations for 2008’s Word of the Year? Speaking English with a Foreign Accentĭo English-speaking foreigners understand you better if you speak English with a foreign accent? A Californian says that on a recent visit to Armenia, he discovered the locals had an easier time if he spoke English with an Armenian accent. And what a year! We heard the words bailout and lipstick more times than we’d ever dreamed, and saw also the rise of invented words like staycation and recessionista. It’s that time again, when people start thinking about a new or resurgent word or phrase that best captures the spirit of the past year. This episode first aired November 15, 2008. Hockey mom? Staycation? Recessionista? What’s your choice for Word of the Year 2008? Also, what expression do you use to describe when it’s raining but the sun is still shining? ![]()
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