The Worst Episodes of America's Secret Slang

Politics is full of odd phrases like "pork barrel projects," "slush funds," and "lame ducks" -- all of which had practical origins and morphed to mean what they do today.

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Have you ever wondered why someone who can't get it together is called a "basket case"? Or where the term "Yankee" came from? And why do we say someone "bought the farm" when they die?

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The American South has given us words like "y'all" and "rednecks" as well as dozens of colorful phrases like "fly off the handle," "having an axe to grind," and "barking up the wrong tree." But what are the origins of these expressions and why has one group of people contributed so much to the American language?

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Expressions from "riffraff" to "betting your bottom dollar", "passing the buck," "acid test" and even "heard it through the grapevine" all come from America's frontier days. But have you ever wondered why these phrases were first used and what they mean today?

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Ever wonder why American cowboys say "'git along little doggies" when they're talking about herding cattle? Or why a losing wrestler "cries uncle?" And why do we say "ouch" when we stub a toe?

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Americans have always loved to eat and expressions relating to food--from New York's "big apple" to "wake up and smell the coffee" --pepper our everyday speech. But where did they all come from?

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How American English has been changed by animals, food, sports and death.

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Exploring words and phrases that are rooted in history.

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How American English was influenced by the seas, the ancient world, big business and the news industry.

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Ways American English has been shaped by clothes, crimes, punishments, insults and the Internet.

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How entertainment influenced common words and phrases.

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Words that originated in the military, police, aviation and baseball; a "last ditch effort"; freelance workers; pushing the envelope.

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Exploring the ways the language has been shaped by Vikings, the Cold War, computers, music and gambling; the meanings behind the colors of the rainbow.

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Presidents, sex and romance, and manners have influenced American English.

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