In a bright, airy classroom above the busy streets of Westwood, a group of advanced English students is puzzling over one of its toughest challenges to date: What is the distinction between “bum” and ...

There are many things people in other countries interpret as typically American. I recall a fellow from Sweden I met on a plane years ago telling me that he was on his way to Las Vegas to celebrate ...

If you've ever shot the breeze, had a heart-to-heart or bent somebody's ear — in fact, if you've ever talked at all — odds are you've used an idiom. These sometimes bizarre phrases are a staple of ...

Ever wonder why 25 idioms that make no sense literally? Dive into their bizarre origins & true meanings. Discover phrases like 'bite the bullet' & 'spill t ...

An American speaks to a group of French nationals and tries to purge his vocabulary of American idioms. Illustration by Eric Palma Some years back I was invited to speak at a black-tie event for the ...